NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Pittsburgh Steelers: Can Markus Wheaton make good on expectations?

By Kevin Parvizi

facebooktwitterreddit

The Pittsburgh Steelers elite offense boasted two of the most impressive wide receivers of the 2014 season in Antonio Brown, who is widely regarded as the new best receiver in the game after back-to-back seasons with gaudy numbers, and explosive rookie Martavis Bryant, who is widely regarded as one of the best deep threats in the NFL. Their passing attack will only be scarier in 2015 as Bryant and Markus Wheaton develop, and it looks like the latter player might be the one worth watching the closest next year.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: Where Do Steelers WRs Rank Among NFL’s Best?

Brandin Cooks is the best receiver to come out of Oregon State in the past three seasons, but it’s easy to forget how good Wheaton was in college for the Beavers. Labeled as a vertical threat coming into the draft, Wheaton’s Combine numbers show that he has the physical tools to be so much more than just a deep threat. Not only did he run a 4.45 forty, but, as per his NFL.com draft profile, he led all players at the position in bench press reps and 20-yard and 60-yard shuttle times.

More from Pittsburgh Steelers

So Wheaton has great vertical speed, short-area quickness, explosiveness, strength, and raw athleticism (he had a 37-inch vertical, too), and that all paints the picture of a 24-year-old receiver who should be much better in his third season. By all accounts, Wheaton has been highly impressive this offseason, and the NFL Network’s Albert Breer got in on the action with some lavish praise for Wheaton last week.

But for all the kind words spoken about Wheaton this offseason, the bottom line is that he’s an “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of player, since he had hype going into his second season and failed to deliver on it. After catching just six passes as a raw rookie, Wheaton turned in a 53/644/2 line in what was an inconsistent second season in the league. He showed off his huge potential in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns with 97 receiving yards, but he never had a 100-yard outing and disappeared too often with six games with less than three receptions.

According to Advanced Football Analytics, Wheaton averaged 7.5 yards per target with a 61.6% catch rate, but those numbers aren’t overly impressive in the Steelers offense with Ben Roethlisberger, who was one of the best five QBs in the league last year, chucking him passes. He’ll have to be even more efficient in 2015, especially since he was below the league average in both WR Rating and yards per route run, as per Pro Football Focus.

Even though it’s easy to be critical of Wheaton’s subpar second season, there are some positive takeaways solely from that campaign. First of all, it was only his first season with a significant role in the offense, so at least he was able to snare 53 receptions with some occasional flashes of talent. He also dropped just two passes last year, meaning that he was the Steelers wide receiver with the lowest drop rate (just barely below Brown’s mark).

With the offense that he’s in, Wheaton has all of the ingredients to have a third-year breakout season, but perhaps the most important things working for him are his own physical tools. Roethlisberger himself told SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan that Wheaton will be the Steelers breakout player, adding that he will start over Bryant in two-wide sets.

Considering how well Bryant played last year, it may surprise some people that Markus Wheaton will be the No. 2 receiver. It doesn’t surprise me, though, because Wheaton’s skills make him a better partner for Brown in two-wide situations. While Bryant has the elite deep speed, Wheaton is the more well-rounded receiver due to his combination of quickness and speed, meaning that he should be better at gaining separation in short and intermediate areas.

Despite his terrific shuttle times as a draft prospect, that’s something the former third-round pick failed to do in 2014, but it appears that he’s become a smarter and more polished receiver. When Wheaton was drafted, most of us knew that his lack of sharpness in-and-out of his breaks would prevent him from making a huge impact immediately, even if his speed could allow him to make a couple of splash plays. That’s exactly what happened, but Wheaton’s fast development and rise up the depth chart this offseason make it seem like he has become a more complete receiver in 2015.

Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) runs the ball after catching a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

If that’s the case, then Wheaton could be set to dominate in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. It’s not like the Steelers will run two-wide sets as often as three-wide sets due to their need to score points, so there will be plenty of opportunities for Bryant. This means that there will be plenty of opportunities for Wheaton, who, if the offseason reports are correct, now has the route-running chops that will allow him to utilize his quickness in the slot.

After watching the smooth inside-outside wideout Emmanuel Sanders leave for the Denver Broncos and star there, I have a feeling that the Steelers want to see if they can get the most out of Wheaton’s tools across the formation. There’s a legit chance that the training camp hype is overrating his progress, but with how well the Steelers have developed receivers and with how well he looked in college, Wheaton is a worthy third-year player to bet on, even if it’s very hard to argue that he’s a better receiver than Bryant at this moment in time.

For him to have a successful third-year season, I think he needs to average around 8.0 yards per target with a 65% catch rate. If the Steelers passing attempts are as voluminous as expected and if Wheaton does indeed finish second on the team in targets with an increase from the 86 targets he earned last year, then 70 catches isn’t out of the realm of reason. It’s more likely for him to aim for around a 60/800/3 line, and with the way the Steelers have been talking him up, it would be a disappointment for him to have a lower output than that, especially since most of his work will be from the slot.

Next: Which Steelers Are Among NFL's Most Important Players?

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Pittsburgh Steelers