Our friends over at Touchdown Wire put out their list of the Top 16 wide receivers in the NFL for this season. You can read the entire list here and I’m sure you will want to so you can see where Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson ended up.
Spoiler altert: He’s not there. This will come as a big shock to many Steelers fans and probably send some of you into an unncessary rage. Afterall, Johnson is coming off of a season where he finished fifth in the league last season in receptions with 107. He was also 10th in the NFL in receiving yards with 1,161 yards.
Unfortunately, on the outside looking in, this wasn’t enough to make the cut. Johnson’s game was productive but hardly flashy last season with only 10.9 yards per catch. By comparison, Niner receiver Deebo Samuel and Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase both averaged at least 18 yards per reception.
If Johnson wants to be considered an elite reciever and ultimately be paid like one, the area he must improve is in yards per catch. Make more splash plays and be more of a playmaker and don’t just compile stats through volume.