Remember last summer when the Steelers traded for running back Felix Jones? How about last October when they did the same for tackle Levi Brown?
These seemed like moves made by a football team that was grasping at straws and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.
When the Steelers signed wide-out Darrius Heyward-Bey to a contract in April, it seemed like the same sort of move, where the team was just looking to flesh-out the abilities of someone who really didn't live up to his lofty draft status (like Jones and Brown, Heyward-Bey was also a former first round pick) in the hopes of compensating for a position that was suddenly bereft of talent thanks to the free agent departures of Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery over the span of two offseasons.
Sure there was Antonio Brown, the two-time Pro Bowl selection who emerged as one of the most productive receivers in the NFL a season ago; and in addition to the Heyward-Bey signing, there was also the free agent acquisition of veteran Lance Moore--a solid pick-up for sure--but other than that, the receiving corps didn't engender much confidence as the draft approached.
With largely unproven Markus Wheaton pegged as the front-runner to start opposite Brown, many believed the Steelers would go big (or at least tall) and draft a receiver in the first round for the first time since 2006.
But when that didn't happen, and Dri Archer (third round) and Martavis Bryant (fourth round) became the answers to the infusion of young offensive weapons fans were hoping for, this wasn't met with much praise--and maybe rightfully so at the time.
However, the great thing about an NFL Draft is it's just that--a draft. Despite projections and despite labels that rookies may acquire based on their time in college and pre-draft workouts such as the NFL Combine, nobody knows what they're capable of until they strap on a helmet and pads and go to work at training camp.
With the Steelers 2014 training camp already over a week old, word is that Wheaton, Archer, Bryant AND Justin Brown, Pittsburgh's sixth round pick in 2013 who spent the entire regular season on the practice squad, are all having great camps--at least early on.
Speaking of the lesser known Brown, a recent ESPN article cautions fans not to "sleep" on him, meaning his talents may be starting to shine through after a year of learning on the practice squad and offseason workouts with the more accomplished Brown.
"Just knowing more has allowed me to play faster, said Brown in the article penned by Scott Brown. "It still comes down to going out and making plays and that's what I've got to do."
What about Archer and Bryant? Surely, these two rookies won't be ready in 2014, will they?
Don't be surprised if they both contribute in their rookie campaigns.
The super-fast Archer is returning first team punts and lining up all over the field on offense--including at wide receiver.
And despite his raw talents, Bryant is already starting to impress. With the first preseason game less than a week away, his stature (6'4, 211 lbs) could have fans salivating around water coolers all over the Pittsburgh area next Monday if he can use it to make a play or two against the Giants, Saturday evening.
Can't forget about Wheaton. Will he be able to overcome his injury-riddled rookie season and snatch a starting job in his second camp? With all the hoopla surrounding the 2014 draft class, it's easy to forget there was similar hype for rookies like Wheaton a year ago after he was drafted in the third round out of Oregon State. And, according to former Steelers safety Ryan Clark last summer, he was already a more well-rounded receiver than Wallace.
"Markus Wheaton is better than Michael Wallace at everything but one thing--speed."
Obviously, those were just words by Clark, and Wheaton's rookie season didn't turn out like anyone was probably hoping it would, but the talent is there, much like it is with Archer, Bryant and Brown.
It begs the question, of course: Who does Mike Tomlin cut?
It's a little too early for that, as a few more weeks of camp and four preseason games will separate the men from the boys (or maybe let us know if Archer is a wide-out or a running back or both), but it sure beats the heck out of picking up Felix Jones.
It remains to be seen if the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers will be able to take the next step and get back to the playoffs after a two year absence. But if their receiver situation is any indication, they might be heading into the season with a little more ammo than they had last September.