With the 25th overall pick during the 2016 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers may have a chance to take one of the best wide receiver prospects the draft has to offer. The Steelers found out that Martavis Bryant will face a year-long suspension and they will likely have to push forward without him.
Pittsburgh never had enough salary cap space to make any offers in free agency to anyone besides Ladarius Green. The former San Diego Chargers tight end should come in and immediately fill the void that Heath Miller's retirement will leave behind.
The Steelers have done a great job in recent years drafting wide receivers as they have landed some of the best wide receivers in the league today. It was not so long ago that Pittsburgh had a three-headed monster in their wide receiving corps - namely with Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.
Now Wallace is a free agent who may even sign with the Ravens after stints with the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. Sanders is the starter opposite Demarius Thomas with the Denver Broncos, and Brown is still with the Steelers and is considered one of the best, if not the best, wide receivers in the league.
Adding Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton was supposed to give the Steelers that type of three-headed dynamic, however Wheaton has proven less than serviceable when relied on consistently and Bryant has had a slew of off-the-field issues. Pittsburgh also has Sammie Coates on the roster, who will likely get a bigger role now that Bryant may miss the entire season.
The Steelers will really have four choices with their first overall pick if they decide to go the receiver route. They could select from the first overall prospect for the wide receiving position in Laquon Treadwell if he still is on the board. More likely they will be looking at Corey Coleman from Baylor, Josh Doctson from TCU, or Will Fuller from Notre Dame.
They could also hold off in looking for the best wide receiver and select Braxton Miller out of Ohio State who would learn a ton from Antonio Brown and has the skill set to become an elite wide receiver. The Steelers may be behind the eight ball when it comes to making up for Bryant's suspension, but they can remedy the situation if they are smart about who they select during the 2016 NFL Draft.
