Pittsburgh Steelers: Top 5 wide receivers from the 2010s
By Samuel Teets
Despite their offensive difficulties last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers churned out some of the league’s best wide receivers during the 2010s.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are well-known around the NFL for finding quality wide receivers in the draft and turning them into Pro Bowl candidates. The Steelers are so confident in their ability to find quality pass-catchers that they selected receivers in the top three rounds in each of the past four drafts.
While Pittsburgh’s young receivers still need time to develop, fans witnessed several standout pass-catchers don the black and gold during the 2010s.
The following five players separated themselves as the most-accomplished Steelers receivers from the past decade.
5. Martavis Bryant (2014-17)
Bryant entered the NFL as a member of the legendary 2014 wide receiver class. Since he never got out of Sammy Watkins’ shadow at Clemson, Bryant fell to fourth-round, where Pittsburgh scooped him up with the 118th overall pick. He stepped in and immediately became a contributor.
Bryant’s first breakout game with the Steelers came in Week 10. Against the New York Jets, Bryant made four receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown. His next big performance came against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. In the 42-21 victory, Bryant caught four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
As a rookie, Bryant only caught 26 passes, but he averaged 21.1 yards per reception. The Clemson product finished his rookie season with 549 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games. While Bryant finished fifth on the Steelers in receiving yards, he only trailed Antonio Brown in receiving touchdowns.
Unfortunately, issues began to arise at the start of Bryant’s second season. He received a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Bryant played 11 games that season, tallying 50 receptions for 765 yards and six touchdowns.
The NFL suspended Bryant for the entire 2016 season for violating the substance abuse policy. He returned in 2017 but felt unhappy with his role in the offense, asking for a trade from Pittsburgh. The Steelers shot the idea down, and Bryant finished the year with only 50 receptions for 603 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games.
That offseason, Pittsburgh traded Bryant to the Oakland Raiders for a third-round pick. During his short stint in Oakland, Bryant was cut, re-signed, placed on injured reserve, and then suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the substance-abuse policy again.