When the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to dress only four receivers in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers and made rookie Roman Wilson a healthy scratch, some fans and media personalities thought it was coaching malpractice. However, the history of the Steelers shows that rookie receivers who make an immediate impact are the exception, not the norm. Steelers Nation should lower their expectations for Wilson, considering his third-round draft pedigree. Let’s look back at how the Steelers under Mike Tomlin have used rookie receivers in the past.

Major Impact

George Pickens (2022)

As a second-round pick, Pickens played in all 17 games, starting 12 of them. He logged 882 snaps, which was 76 percent of the offense. That’s the most a rookie receiver contributed during Tomlin’s tenure. He started the season behind Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson on the depth chart but was getting only a handful fewer snaps than them. Then Claypool was traded to the Chicago Bears, although the move didn’t directly lead to a bigger workload for Pickens.

Chase Claypool (2020)

Another second-round pick, Claypool appeared in all 16 games, starting six. He was on the field for 692 snaps, good for 63 percent of the offense. He’s remembered for his breakout four-touchdown performance in Week 4, but in his first two games, Claypool only logged 19 and 24 snaps, respectfully. He finished his rookie season with 873 yards.

Diontae Johnson (2019)

Johnson was a third-round pick. He appeared in all 16 games, starting 12 of them. He logged 652 snaps, which was 65 percent of the offense. For the first two weeks of the season, he was only on the field for 24 and 26 snaps, but his opportunities increased because of the failures of free agent acquisition Donte Moncrief. Johnson finished the year with 59 receptions and 680 yards.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (2017)

Smitih-Schuster was also a second-round pick. He appeared in 14 games, starting seven. His 704 snaps for 75 percent of the offense was the most for a rookie receiver under Tomlin at that point. It may have been even higher, but he missed Week 12 with a hamstring injury and Week 14 due to suspension. He finished the season with 917 yards, but he still had to grow into his role. Smith-Schuster started the season sixth on the depth chart and didn’t make his first start until the end of October.

Medium Impact

James Washington (2018)

Second-round pick James Washington appeared in 14 games, starting six. His 526 snaps were good for 54 percent of the offense. He was a heavy contributor as early as Week 2, but other times, he was out-snapped by Eli Rogers and Ryan Switzer. He finished his rookie season with 16 receptions for 217 yards.

Mike Wallace (2009)

The third-round pick came into a Steelers offense that included Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Plus, they played a lot of two-tight-end sets. Despite that, Ben Roethlisberger did all he could to get Wallace the ball, including giving him two targets on his first two offensive snaps. Wallace appeared in all 16 games, made four starts, and finished the season with 39 receptions and 756 yards. It earned him the team’s Rookie of the Year award.

Lighter Impact

Calvin Austin (first snaps in 2023)

Austin was a fourth-round pick in 2022, who didn’t see the field until the following season due to injury. That year he logged 374 snaps for 35 percent of the offense. Although he was a big contributor early last year, he never logged more than 20 snaps in a game after Week 5.

Sammie Coates (2015)

A third-round pick, Coates only appeared in six games his rookie year, logging 36 total snaps. He started the season as the fourth receiver on the depth chart but was a healthy scratch for the first two games that season. When Martavis Bryant returned from suspension, Coates was demoted to fifth on the depth chart.

Martavis Bryant (2014)

Bryant was a fourth-round pick who played in ten games his rookie season, starting three. His 295 snaps were good for 43 percent of the offense. He was inactive for the first six games of the season, finishing the year with 26 receptions for 549 yards.

Markus Wheaton (2013)

Another third-round pick, Wheaton appeared in 12 games, starting one. He logged 159 snaps for 20 percent of the total offense. He finished the season with six receptions for 64 yards.

Emmanuel Sanders (2010)

Sanders was also a third-round pick. He appeared in 13 games, making one start. He was a healthy scratch three times that year. He finished the season with 28 receptions for 376 yards.

Antonio Brown (2010)

The future legend was a sixth-round pick who only appeared in nine games during his rookie season. He earned 16 receptions for 167 yards that year.

Limas Sweed (2008)

The second-round pick was inactive for the first four games and he didn’t get any snaps in Week 5. He finished his rookie season with six catches for 64 yards.