Steelers’ wide receiver still have a lot of questions for 2025 according to PFF
As the 2025 NFL offseason progresses into the summer months, there will constantly be a barrage of lists and rankings from various outlets. While some fans will have preferred places where they look for particular rankings, others will just avoid the information altogether.
Over the next two weeks, I will be reporting on the members of the Pittsburgh Steelers who landed in the top 32 players at various positions according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). I know there are many who like to criticize PFF rankings, with me being one of them, it doesn’t mean that their information is always incorrect. While they used rankings for some of their reasoning in placing the players on these list, it was not their ultimate deciding factor and instead was the opinion of the various authors depending on which position group was being covered.
Whenever I cover various things from PFF, I often give the disclaimer reminding people that their grades are merely an opinion. One thing PFF should be commended on is that they collect an immense amount of data, particularly looking at each player on every snap, in order to form their opinion. But more data doesn’t automatically deliver a correct opinion. Regardless, it is still a great point of discussion to see where the Pittsburgh Steelers rank and the various positional groups.
Next up, let’s look at PFF’s rankings at the wide receiver position where the Steelers only have one player in the top 32.
23. D.K. METCALF, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Metcalf didn’t have his best season in 2024 and finished with a 75.0 receiving grade, but he’s been remarkably consistent throughout his career, never posting a grade below 73.0. Since 2019, he’s recorded 89 contested catches, and now he’ll look to reset with a fresh start in Pittsburgh.
There are a number of interesting points to look at in PFF’s list of their top 32 wide receivers. DK Metcalf was the only player from the Steelers to land on the list, but this is not overly surprising. With the next best receiver option for the Steelers at this time being Calvin Austin III, I don’t think anyone would argue that he’s expected to be in the top 32 receivers in the NFL at this moment.
What else is interesting is that even if the Steelers would not have traded George Pickens, they still would have only had one player on the list as Pickens did not land in the top 32. Whether or not he deserves to be there is up for debate, but the fact he’s not on the Steelers anymore is for Cowboys fans to worry about.
What is interesting is that DK Metcalf also came in ahead of his 2024 teammate Jaxson Smith-Njigba who came in at 27th on the list. So according to this list from PFF, Metcalf was the best receiver in Seattle last year and is now the best receiver in Pittsburgh.
When looking at the rest of the AFC North, Metcalf is the third player on the list behind two receivers from the Bengals in Ja’Marr Chase (3rd) and Tee Higgins (14th). The Ravens’ Zay Flowers came in at 25th on the list while the Browns had no receivers qualify.
Based on this information, the Steelers should be in better shape at wide receiver with DK Metcalf in 2025 then they were with George Pickens in 2024. But this still remains to be seen on the field. Additionally, the Steelers supporting cast at wide receiver will be very important even if they are not in the top 32 in the NFL
Other position groups covered:
