Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver corps left a lot to be desired last season. Having Van Jefferson as the No. 2 wide receiver was a massive mistake by general manager Omar Khan. He should have had a better Plan B after failing to acquire Brandon Aiyuk.
Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter thinks the Steelers will not fix their quarterback dilemma until the wide receiver position is bolstered.
“A lot of the conversation has been about Mike Tomlin, lot of conversations have been about the quarterbacks, and all those conversations should be had. But you cannot change the quarterback unless you change the wide receiver room,” ” Carter said on Up and Adams with Kay Adams.
“They have a major problem with their wide receivers. I don’t care who they get there now. They don’t have a great wide receiver room.”
Carter also thinks the Steelers need to acquire a veteran receiver to help mentor George Pickens.
“You need to get another veteran receiver with (Pickens) like DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper. Guys who have really established themselves not only as consistent wide receivers, but they have been great role models. He is a tremendous talent, but he has lapses where he does not make an impact on the game in a positive way. His overall body language — Warren Moon taught me this, ‘Hey man, if you give me that bad body language, I’ll bury in this offense. You’ll never get the ball.’
“Unless you get a veteran quarterback or someone they respect, you can keep those antics. A lot of receivers have done it through the years. It does not help the quarterback, it does not help the team, it does not help the coaching staff. So the longer they allow those type of things to go on, especially when you have average quarterback play, that the receivers could complain about. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a couple of problems at a couple of different positions, and it’s not because of a lack of talent. It’s because of a lack of overall discipline and lack of overall commitment to the program of what they’re trying to do.”
The Steelers need a veteran WR for Pickens and co, per Cris Carter. pic.twitter.com/eD3FPB2OqK
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) February 19, 2025
In its latest mock draft, Sports Illustrated has the Steelers selecting Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III with their first-round pick (No. 21 overall).
“George Pickens was Pittsburgh’s lone receiver with 40 or more catches and 600-plus receiving yards. He’s also a free agent after the 2025 season,” Daniel Flick writes. “Adding a complementary piece alongside Pickens is important, no matter who leads the Steelers under center next fall. Burden is an uber-explosive playmaker who’s impressive in run-after-catch settings, mixing quickness with physicality. He scored six touchdowns through the air and two on the ground in ’24.”
Flick seems to believe Burden is the better prospect over other top-ranked wide receivers Matthew Golden of Texas and Emeka Egbuka...
