Steelers Now
Pro Football Focus produced its latest rankings of the NFL’s best wide receivers this week, and Pittsburgh Steelers receiver DK Metcalf came in at No. 26. That’s not bad in the overall context of the league, but it means that Metcalf was rated as one of the worst No. 1 wide receivers.
While PFF rankings are never the end-all, be-all when it comes to evaluating players, this ranking does reflect the way a lot of people view Metcalf right now. He’s still a very good receiver, but he hasn’t quite lived up to the investment the Steelers made when they traded a second-round pick for him and immediately gave him a massive contract.
“In his first season with Pittsburgh, Metcalf led the Steelers with 850 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. His 1.83 yards per route run ranked among the top 30 qualified wide receivers despite posting a career-low 11.3-yard average depth of target because of Aaron Rodgers’ conservative tendencies. The additions of Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Germie Bernard should help alleviate some of the pressure on Metcalf to carry the Steelers’ passing game.”
At the same time, PFF’s point about the supporting cast is a fair one. Last season, Metcalf was asked to be the clear No. 1 option, and defenses treated him that way. With Pittman and Bernard now in the mix, there should be a lot less attention on Metcalf. Steelers fans saw how much having another legitimate receiving threat helped George Pickens take a step forward in 2025, and the hope is the same thing happens for Metcalf.
The talent has never been the question. Metcalf has all the physical tools you’d want and has already put together multiple 1,000-yard seasons in his career. The issue has always been taking that next step from being a really good receiver to being one of the handful of guys everyone agrees is among the league’s best.
A lot of that comes down to the smaller details. His size and speed aren’t going anywhere, but there’s still room to improve as a route runner, with his releases, and in contested catch situations. Those are the things that separate good receivers from great ones.
If Metcalf can clean up those parts of his game while benefiting from a deeper receiving room, there’s no reason he can’t have his best season in Pittsburgh. And if the Steelers are going to have the kind of offense they believe they can this year, they’re going to need him to.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: PFF Ranks Steelers’ DK Metcalf Among NFL’s Worst WR1s
