SteelerWatch

In part one, we took a look at the overall make-up of the position as it currently stands, with an analysis of Hines Ward and Cedric Wilson, 2006’s official starters. Today we’ll look at emerging stars and the immediate and long-term future of the group.

Santonio Holmes came up big in 2006. On a team that focuses on running and generally makes use of experienced players over rookies, the youngster really made an impact. His 49 catches and 824 yards put him second on the team in receiving behind perrenial number-one target Ward — and 3.6 yards more per catch. He was regarded entering the 2006 draft as the best receiver, but the knock on him was that it was a draft that was especially thin at the position. Still, he managed great numbers for a number-two receiver in a run-oriented offense. He also returned punts, but while he did return one for a touchdown, he did fumble several of them away. That combined with some rare off-field problems with the law, put a damper on an otherwise-stellar season for the rookie that included a season-capping 67-yard overtime touchdown against the Bengals in the season finale.

Nate Washington also put up numbers that statistically looked good in his third season, looking more and more like a viable third option. However, the one statistic not commonly reported is dropped passes, and Washington had more than his fair share in 2006. He largely made up for it with his insane 17.8 yards-per-catch average on 35 receptions, four of which went for touchdowns. Washington is an exclusive-rights free agent, but his impact on the team in 2006 — and the fact that his salary under a new contract would undoubtedly be less than what Cedric Wilson is due to receive if he isn’t cut — will probably put Washington on the field in black and gold at least for one more season.

Given more pressing needs on the offensive line and at outside linebacker, the Steelers likely won’t take a receiver until at least round three — which is a shame, given the outstanding talent available. However, the Steelers’ front office and Personel Director Kevin Colbert excel at finding talented bargains, as is evidenced by players like running back Willie Parker (undrafted free agent), among others. One unlikely option would be dangling some trade bait — say, Joey Porter — in front of the New England Patriots to snag one of their two first-round picks and pick up either South Carolina’s Sindey Rice or Washington State’s Jason Hill. Rice is just outstanding, but has inexplicably been predicted to go very late in the first round on almost every draft board. And Hill? All he does is run the 40 in 4.32 seconds.

Two to three years from now it’s a safe bet to assume this group of receivers will be led by Santonio Holmes, probably across the field from Nate Washington and some mid-round 2007 draft pick in the slot. Holmes has the speed and the hands of a number-one option with no fear of going across the middle of the field, and just needs to get his head more in the game to go to the top tier. Washington has an unnatural ability to make the nearly impossible catches, but seems to lose focus when the ball hits him in the numbers. If those issues can be corrected, the Steelers have the makings of another Ward/Randle-El combination on their hands.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 26th, 2007 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Before the Draft, Offense. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.