Steelers Wish-List Wednesday: WR Brian Thomas Jr.

It’s been a crazy couple of days for Steeler Nation. The Steelers have been busy in Free Agency and the trade market. One thing for certain is that Omar Khan and the Steelers need to nail this draft. With Diontae Johnson now gone to Carolina, a receiver is a top three need on this team. So, the Steelers look to Baton Rouge to find their next playmaker.

LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. is absolutely insane. The 6’3” 209-pound receiver runs a 4.33 -second 40- -yard dash with a 1.5-second 10-yard split. His arms are 32 ¾” and hands are 9 ¾” long. He jumped a 38.5” vertical and a 10’6” broad jump. And he benched 11 reps of 225 pounds at the combine. Yes, he’s a faster Rome Odunze.

Here’s the crazy part. His on-field production matched his rare combination of size and speed. He had 68 catches for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns (which led the nation). Thomas Jr. is a touchdown machine and Pittsburgh needs to add more scoring on offense. And that’s 17.3 average yards per catch. Those are mind-blowing stats when you realize he was the number two receiver on that team. 

His speed can bring Pittsburgh another dimension to their passing attack. He’s an amazing ball-tracker and isn’t afraid to go over the top of defenders. He’s also good at getting off press coverage at the line of scrimmage. The one major critique I would say is he can be better at route running. But with time, he will get better.

The Steelers needed to get better on offense before the Johnson trade. Now it’s imperative that they find a replacement that can give more production. Brian Thomas Jr. will make the Steelers better in all aspects of the offense. And the new Steelers offense can compete with the best.