In Week One, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens caught six passes on seven targets. No other Steelers wide receiver caught more than one pass. This is not what anyone envisioned with the new Arthur Smith offense.
So as we look ahead to the offseason, adding another playmaker at wide receiver has to be a high priority. In the latest 2025 NFL mock draft over at The Draft Network, they took this approach for Pittsburgh with their first-round pick.
They opted for Missouri wide receiver to the Steelers as the third receiver off the board at the No. 14 overall pick. Here’s what they had to say about the selection:
The Steelers’ quarterback situation has stolen the headlines the entire offseason, but the one position that I believe needs to be highlighted is the receiver position. Yes, the Steelers have talent, but is it to the standard that the Steelers usually have? With this pick, they draft Luther Burden III, a slot-dominant player who can move to a different alignment and should be a great complementary piece to George Pickens and a healthy Roman Wilson.
A small run on quarterbacks is a big reason why Burden lands with the Steelers. If the first round plays out like this, the temptation would be there to roll the dice on Miami quarterback Cam Ward but we are good with the safer option in Burden.