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View Full Version : Wheaton ready to step into Steelers' limelight



GBMelBlount
08-01-2014, 06:59 AM
By Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It was only a year ago that, standing outside the cafeteria during a lunch-time break at Saint Vincent College, former safety Ryan Clark dumped a surprising heap of praise on rookie receiver Markus Wheaton, the Steelers’ third-round draft choice.

After only a couple days of watching Wheaton run routes in training camp, Clark gushed that the rookie from Oregon State already was better than Mike Wallace, who left the team in free agency to sign a big contract with the Miami Dolphins.

“Markus Wheaton is better than Michael Wallace at everything but one thing — speed,” Clark said at the time. “That’s it. He does everything else better. As far as route-running, he’s more polished. I think he has better hands … I think he’s ready to step in and play.”

Fast forward one year later, after a season in which Wheaton was plagued by a broken hand and caught six passes for 64 yards, and consider the observation of another veteran secondary member who has had to cover him in training camp — cornerback Ike Taylor.

“He can be that guy that teams look at in the first four games and are like, ‘Who is that dude running past people?’ ” Taylor said. “After those first four games, they’re like, ‘OK, we know who he is now.’ ”


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2014/08/01/Wheaton-ready-to-step-into-Steelers-limelight/stories/201408010092#ixzz398nVhxj0