Steelerette
03-24-2014, 08:11 PM
It seems these days that all of Steelers Nation has been clamoring for a big WR. There are even rumors that Ben Roethlisberger requested one from the Steelers Brass. It's no surprise that many are on edge about the team's receiving corps: the team likely regrets not having turned Sanders into a 3rd rounder and now he's gone, Cotchery has left via free agency, Wheaton may or may not pan out, and Heath Miller is in the twilight of his prime. Antonio Brown is good no doubt, but no man is an island and the rest of our receivers are a whole lot of "who dat?".
Let's take a moment to forget about the lack of RB depth and savor the fact that we've just brought in an OL coaching stalwart in Mike Munchak, our OL personnel have the potential to yield one of the best O-lines we've had here since Iron Mike went 800 miles down I-70, Miller and Big Ben still have some fight left in them, and at the very least, Le'Veon Bell seems to be very good. While there are many questions to address on defense, at least for the upcoming season the only real question on offense is what we're going to do about receivers. So let's take a look.
WRs Under Contract, 2014:
-Antonio Brown
-Lance Moore
-Markus Wheaton
Okay, we know those ones. Brown is our #1, Moore is our slot guy, Wheaton is who we're praying works out across from Brown. Got it. But here's the rest:
-Derek Moye
-Justin Brown
-Lanear Simpson
-Danny Coale
-Jasper Collins
-Kashif Moore
Who? Okay, we're probably familiar with Moye too.
Derek Moye: 6'5", 210. He's a tall but frail target with pretty good speed for his size. UDFA castoff from Miami who made the team last year in part thanks to his effort at running down an INT return in the preseason. Adequate player, never was a huge playmaker, but maybe he turns into nice depth and our coveted tall guy.
Lanear Simpson: 5'11". Strong, quick, one-dimensional. He can get behind the secondary - a good go-route kind of receiver. But not really a kick returner. There's not much room for him unless we have a very big and proven possession receiver, most likely. He may carve a niche somewhere, but to us? Camp fodder.
Danny Coale: 6'0". He's a FAST dude, 2012 5th Rounder for the Cowboys, wound up on practice squad and IR, got waived... special teams experience. Unfortunately FAST is about all he has going for him, still never manages to get separation, not a good blocker. Runs decent routes but we have enough guys who can be average short-yardage receivers who don't add any blocking Camp fodder.
Jasper Collins: 5'10", 180. UDFA for the Dolphins last year, waived after injuries, now we've got him. Prolific receiver at Mount Union. It's a D-III program but it's the best D3 there is, 11 national championships since 1993, and this is the program that produced Cecil Shorts, Pierre Garcon, among others. If Collins were taller he might just be a prolific name from a bigger school -- or maybe not, that's the risk with these D3 prospects. On the field he looks like a first round talent, fluid, does everything you want - but he's short and he played D3 ball. And oh yeah, he's fast and the kid can block and return kicks for TDs. Take a look at him winning the D3 Title two years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6RLwrAlb0Q While this post is about Justin Brown, Jasper Collins may well be our slot receiver of the future and this is the type of guy I love to bring into camp. Keep your eye on him.
Kashif Moore: 5"9". Speedy - borderline explosive. But tiny, and one dimensional - going deep. Camp fodder.
--
That leaves us with Justin Brown yet to look at. Our sixth round pick last year, he wound up going to the practice squad in favor of Moye after a couple preseason whiffs, but in truth he didn't get a huge amount of opportunity last year, plus the kid can return kicks - which we never lined him up to do last preseason -- plus of course, the dearth of WR depth will give him the perfect opportunity to rise up and make the squad this year. What does he bring to the table?
He started out as a Nittany Lion and by his junior year was pretty productive - for a Penn State WR. He transferred to the Sooners after the Sandusky debacle broke, and even with Landry Jones at QB managed to establish himself as a legitimate big-play artist. He was one of the leading kick returners in the NCAA, and while he doesn't have great top speed, he has downright explosive burst - and he ran those kick returns more like a runningback. While learning a new system he pulled in 73 catches for 879 yards and 5 TDs his year at Oklahoma. While not "fast" he's very quick, and a fighter.
Just look at the way he gets after the ball:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZOYFWyKTns
With a bit of development this kid can be what we were hoping Limas Sweed could be.
Not only that, but we bothered to renew him on a futures contract after the season, so we may not be done with him just yet. I wouldn't be too surprised if he winds up beating out Moye this season - I know I'm rooting for the kid.
Let's take a moment to forget about the lack of RB depth and savor the fact that we've just brought in an OL coaching stalwart in Mike Munchak, our OL personnel have the potential to yield one of the best O-lines we've had here since Iron Mike went 800 miles down I-70, Miller and Big Ben still have some fight left in them, and at the very least, Le'Veon Bell seems to be very good. While there are many questions to address on defense, at least for the upcoming season the only real question on offense is what we're going to do about receivers. So let's take a look.
WRs Under Contract, 2014:
-Antonio Brown
-Lance Moore
-Markus Wheaton
Okay, we know those ones. Brown is our #1, Moore is our slot guy, Wheaton is who we're praying works out across from Brown. Got it. But here's the rest:
-Derek Moye
-Justin Brown
-Lanear Simpson
-Danny Coale
-Jasper Collins
-Kashif Moore
Who? Okay, we're probably familiar with Moye too.
Derek Moye: 6'5", 210. He's a tall but frail target with pretty good speed for his size. UDFA castoff from Miami who made the team last year in part thanks to his effort at running down an INT return in the preseason. Adequate player, never was a huge playmaker, but maybe he turns into nice depth and our coveted tall guy.
Lanear Simpson: 5'11". Strong, quick, one-dimensional. He can get behind the secondary - a good go-route kind of receiver. But not really a kick returner. There's not much room for him unless we have a very big and proven possession receiver, most likely. He may carve a niche somewhere, but to us? Camp fodder.
Danny Coale: 6'0". He's a FAST dude, 2012 5th Rounder for the Cowboys, wound up on practice squad and IR, got waived... special teams experience. Unfortunately FAST is about all he has going for him, still never manages to get separation, not a good blocker. Runs decent routes but we have enough guys who can be average short-yardage receivers who don't add any blocking Camp fodder.
Jasper Collins: 5'10", 180. UDFA for the Dolphins last year, waived after injuries, now we've got him. Prolific receiver at Mount Union. It's a D-III program but it's the best D3 there is, 11 national championships since 1993, and this is the program that produced Cecil Shorts, Pierre Garcon, among others. If Collins were taller he might just be a prolific name from a bigger school -- or maybe not, that's the risk with these D3 prospects. On the field he looks like a first round talent, fluid, does everything you want - but he's short and he played D3 ball. And oh yeah, he's fast and the kid can block and return kicks for TDs. Take a look at him winning the D3 Title two years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6RLwrAlb0Q While this post is about Justin Brown, Jasper Collins may well be our slot receiver of the future and this is the type of guy I love to bring into camp. Keep your eye on him.
Kashif Moore: 5"9". Speedy - borderline explosive. But tiny, and one dimensional - going deep. Camp fodder.
--
That leaves us with Justin Brown yet to look at. Our sixth round pick last year, he wound up going to the practice squad in favor of Moye after a couple preseason whiffs, but in truth he didn't get a huge amount of opportunity last year, plus the kid can return kicks - which we never lined him up to do last preseason -- plus of course, the dearth of WR depth will give him the perfect opportunity to rise up and make the squad this year. What does he bring to the table?
He started out as a Nittany Lion and by his junior year was pretty productive - for a Penn State WR. He transferred to the Sooners after the Sandusky debacle broke, and even with Landry Jones at QB managed to establish himself as a legitimate big-play artist. He was one of the leading kick returners in the NCAA, and while he doesn't have great top speed, he has downright explosive burst - and he ran those kick returns more like a runningback. While learning a new system he pulled in 73 catches for 879 yards and 5 TDs his year at Oklahoma. While not "fast" he's very quick, and a fighter.
Just look at the way he gets after the ball:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZOYFWyKTns
With a bit of development this kid can be what we were hoping Limas Sweed could be.
Not only that, but we bothered to renew him on a futures contract after the season, so we may not be done with him just yet. I wouldn't be too surprised if he winds up beating out Moye this season - I know I'm rooting for the kid.