Steelers Now
There aren’t a lot of receivers that measure up physically to DK Metcalf. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ No. 1 wideout stands 6-foot-4 and weighs around 230 pounds, but looks as if he’d been chiseled out of stone.
Recently on the “Fully Loaded Podcast,” a mailbag questioner said that if you were to “draw up” a receiver, they’d look just like Metcalf. Pro Football Hall of Fame pass-catcher Cris Carter didn’t agree.
“No he wouldn’t,” Carter said. “Because if you look at (it), there’s a lot of big guys, but … the bigger you are, the stiffer and harder to bend (it is). From a human physics standpoint, it’s easy to run fast. It’s hard to run fast and stop. And it’s harder to stop the higher your hip joint is off the ground — so the taller you are — that’s why those little running backs and little slot receivers (move well).”
Carter, who played 16 NFL seasons with stops in Philadelphia, Minnesota and Miami, posted 327 receptions for 4,577 yards and 42 touchdowns over his first seven. Of course, different eras, but Metcalf registered 497 grabs for 7,174 yards and 54 touchdowns — all better marks than Carter over the same stretch.
Metcalf, 28, led the Steelers with 850 receiving yards and six touchdown grabs last season after being traded from the Seattle Seahawks. He missed Pittsburgh’s final two regular season games due to a suspension.
“If you look at all the great receivers, how many of those receivers (are) over 6-4? Maybe only a handful of them,” Carter said. “And there’s a bunch of 6-4 guys out there, and every coach in college, high school, everyone wants one, but it’s hard to develop because it’s hard to get them to bend down. Randy Moss is a freak. So, no, I wouldn’t make a receiver like DK. DK Metcalf is bigger than Jeremiah Smith, he’s bigger than Julio Jones. He’s a different version.
“He’s not as big as Calvin Johnson, but he’s not as athletic as Calvin. Like, his route running, his ability to catch the ball in traffic is not. … He works on his body, he works on his speed. How much does he work on his route running and his hands? Because those are the weaknesses of his game.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Pro Football Hall of Fame WR Gives Harsh Take on Steelers DK Metcalf
