Despite Critics, Steelers WR Diontae Johnson Top 5 WR According To ESPN; Pickens Top 15

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Based on how the Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season went, I don’t think anyone, including staff, players and fans, was happy at the end of the season when the team missed the playoffs after finishing with a 9-8 record. In that 9-8 record, there was a poor start that put the team in a big hole, and even a 7-2 run to end the season couldn’t get the team into the playoffs. .

Among some of those frustrated players were several skillful Steelers players on the offensive side of the ball, particularly the team’s WR1, Diontae Johnson.

The Steelers offense has struggled throughout the season, and it’s come as no surprise to many in Steeler Nation, as the team’s offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, has yet to prove that he can have lasting success in the NFL. Between the team’s Week 1 starter Mitch Trubisky and their Week 18 starter and hopefully franchise quarterback Kenny Pickett, they’ve totaled 11 passing touchdowns over the course of the season, a category in which the Steelers finished dead last this season. That, coupled with the red zone struggle, leads to a down year overall for the offense.

The previously mentioned Johnson is probably the most frustrated of the bunch, and understandably so. He was coming off his best season as a professional, in which he recorded over 1,100 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as he proved he could be the team’s number one option for which they rewarded him with a two-year extension last summer. . That success didn’t carry over into this season, however, at least not on the stat sheet.

Johnson’s production plummeted to recording just 82 receptions, 882 receiving yards and not a single touchdown. His lack of touchdowns eventually landed him in the NFL record books, as he recorded the most catches in a season without recording a touchdown. That’s not exactly why you want to be put in the record books. Despite the poor season on the stat sheet, ESPN analysis ranks him among the top 5 wide receivers in the NFL in 2022, claiming fifth place on the list. The only wide receivers ahead of Johnson are AJ Brown, Justin Jefferson, Tyler Lockett and Stefon Diggs, all in that order with Brown leading.

Now, this ranking is not just an opinion on where these players rank in the NFL wide receiver rankings, they break down the rankings into three categories which are “Getting Open”, “Making The Catch” and “Yards After Wrestling”.

Several people have criticized Johnson’s ability to catch the ball over the past two seasons, and in his second season in the NFL he struggled with a few drops. He’s proven over the past couple of years that it’s not a problem really not worth our breath. He had a catch rating of 56 which put him in the middle of those ratings and higher than names like CeeDee Lamb, Chris Godwin and Deebo Samuel, so hopefully we can stop talking about Johnson’s ability to take a hold.

Johnson’s lowest rating was his yards-after-catch rating at 43, but that still put him near league center. It was statistically his worst season after capture, as it’s an area he’s excelled in in the past. However, it was clear throughout the season that the types of routes he traveled and the area of ​​the pitch where he received the ball did not provide him with meaningful opportunities in that department as they have in years past. .

Diontae Johnson is still the Steelers wide receiver 1

His rating that should shock absolutely no one, and which should silence some of Johnson’s critics, is his rating on his ability to open up. He received a perfect 99 in that category, which is league-high, with Lockett and Brown the only other receivers rated above 90 at 95 and 90 respectively. Johnson’s journey and ability to create separation is and always has been his best trait as a wide receiver, and this year was no different.

Many fans were screaming for Johnson to get fewer targets in favor of Pickens throughout the year and often asked why Johnson was the one getting the most stares. His ability to open up should address that, because for a QB, a wide receiver’s ability to open up and make his decisions and throws easier to execute is their favorite thing. Now, that doesn’t mean people were wrong to want Pickens more involved because he was pretty high on that list himself.

Pickens joined Johnson near the top of this list coming in at 15th overall, making him the second-highest rookie on the list with Chris Olave as the ninth-highest rated wide receiver. Similar to Johnson, Pickens was in the middle of the pack in two areas while leading the other. He came in with a 48 in his ability to open up and a 41 in his ability to gain yards after the catch.

Where Pickens shone, which was on display every Sunday throughout the season, was his ability to make the catch no matter how difficult. His ability to secure the ball in contested catch situations is near league highs and has honestly left many people’s jaws hanging on the floor.

Regardless of where they both land in these rankings, it should be clear that the Steelers have a dynamic wide receiver duo that should be able to help Pickett develop into his second season in the NFL.

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