After struggling through the swan song for Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers have moved on to having Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky as their next QB prospects. With uncertainty all around this roster, which key position group will make the biggest impact this season?
Running back was considered here, but with this group including Najee Harris and a bunch of options not good enough to hold down his backup role, it is hard to nominate a group so heavily reliant on one player. Comments about Harris’ role this season have ramped expectations for the second-year back, and his workload will likely resemble that of a workhorse option, great for fantasy prospects.
But to help Trubisky and eventually Pickett succeed at leading this offense, there is one group that will be counted on more than ever for the 2022 NFL season.
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Steelers Key Position Group For 2022 NFL Season
Wide Receivers
The loss of Juju Smith-Schuster, while probably a godsend if you ask Steelers fans, forced the front office to spend a high pick on Georgia’s George Pickens. Smith-Schuster’s departure leaves a ton of open targets for the taking, and with James Washington securing a large bag with the Cowboys, it falls to Pickens to step up here in his first season.
But before looking at what Pickens will need to do, let’s focus on the alpha option in the passing game – Diontae Johnson. With the WR having skipped voluntary offseason workouts but shown up to training camp, Johnson may be content with riding out the final year of his deal… or his camp could be working on a deal to bring his value close to where other star WRs are.
Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Johnson produced the best season of his career in 2021, putting together a 107/1,161/8 line on a whopping 169 targets. Being counted on again as WR1 this year will only boost Johnson’s value, provided he is able to establish a rapport with whichever QB is throwing him the ball and that Johnson is able to remain healthy.
Back to Pickens – the former Bulldog was one of the more challenging prospects to grade this draft cycle, based solely on only having played three games in 2021. His knee injury in the spring dampened his draft stock, but having returned for the end of the year helped quell some of those concerns.
Pickens has future WR1 talent written all over him, as his physicality, intangibles, and overall understanding of his role impresses for a rookie WR. Potentially carrying a chip on his shoulder as he enters the league, Pickens will be counted on heavily as defenses heavily plan to contain Johnson.
Chase Claypool is the other option in PIT’s 3-receiver sets, likely slotting behind Johnson but ahead of Pickens. Having shown issues of temperament control in the past, Claypool has a lot of talent that just needs to be taken advantage of by the Steelers and their offensive scheme.
Having commanded 102+ targets each of his first two seasons helps provide a look into just how safe Claypool’s role will be this season. While the 23-year-old likely will see a downtick in targets, potentially his first sub-100 target year, Claypool will be an important factor in this team’s offense this season.
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