Martavis Bryant could start for Steelers as a rookie

[hawaiiansteel]

Martavis Bryant could start for Steelers as a rookie

Ben Roethlisberger has seemingly been campaigning for the Pittsburgh Steelers to add a big, physical wide receiver ever since Plaxico Burress defected to the New York Giants nearly a decade ago.

Six years removed from draft bust Limas Sweed, the Steelers selected 6-foot-4 Clemson wideout Martavis Bryant with the No. 114 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Roethlisberger is said to be thrilled with his new weapon, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Don't let Bryant's draft slide fool you. The Steelers believe he could enter the starting lineup as soon as this season.

"We feel like we got a guy to put opposite of Antonio Brown," wide receivers coach Richard Mann said Saturday. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. He lasted. We were delighted we were able to get him. Felt like a second-, third-round guy."

One NFL scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn leading up to the draft that Clemson officials insisted Bryant plays faster than No. 4 overall pick and former teammate Sammy Watkins.

"He has a Randy Moss-type build," another scout said. "Doesn't run as fast as Randy but a notch below. There's some immaturity ... He does some idiotic stuff. But as far as natural ability he's up there."

Bryant has also drawn loose comparisons to the late Bengals size/speed phenom, Chris Henry.

Although the fourth-rounder will be in the mix for playing time as a rookie, he will have his hands full trying to beat out last summer's training camp sensation Markus Wheaton. Coach Mike Tomlin expects Wheaton to take a significant step this year after a pair of broken fingers turned the 2013 third-round pick's rookie season into a washout.

With Wheaton on the outside and former Drew Brees safety blanket Lance Moore in the slot, the Steelers can afford to ease Bryant in as a situational red-zone threat.

[URL]http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap200...ce=twitterfeed[/URL]

[BradshawsHairdresser]

If Bryant starts as a rookie, it will mean that Wheaton turned out to be a bust (or that one of the starters got injured). More likely it will play out as it says in the last sentence of the article. I'm looking forward to seeing Bryant in on Red-zone situations.

[Slapstick]

At Clemson, Bryant wasn't asked to run the whole route tree...he will in this offense...

That may give Wheaton a leg up...

[Eddie Spaghetti]

had not thought of the chris henry comparison

makes sense

[Shawn]

Yeah, I'm not seeing it. I think Bryant is a situational player this season.

[hawaiiansteel]

Martavis Bryant highest drafted Steelers receiver over 6-foot-1 since Limas Sweed

By Neal Coolong on May 10 2014



The Steelers' fourth-round pick may end up being the most popular one when it's all said and done. Rarely do prospects show so clearly such a high ceiling and such obvious bust characteristics.

The Steelers shied away from the whole "tall receiver" bit. They took Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. And Sweed was a fairly polished receiver.

Meet Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant. Sweed's size minus a few pounds and with maybe a step over 40 yards. Half the polish. But the comparisons will be inescapable.

Bryant had monster games that made some think during the season, if he went pro (we didn't think he would) he'd need some time but he could be a freak.

Even more intriguing in Clemson is WR Martavis Bryant. He was suspended for the team's bowl game last season, and four drops against Georgia in their season-opener have likely dropped his stock. A throat-slashing gesture after a touchdown against N.C. State earlier this year won't help either, but there's little doubt the 6-foot-5 Bryant has legitimate physical skills. He's averaging a ridiculous 23 yards a catch through his three-year career, and at this point, has nowhere to go but up.

And he went all the way up to the fourth round. The tall receiver the Steelers have wanted (supposedly) is heading to Pittsburgh, and with the right coaching, could end up being the fourth round steal the team could desperately use.

It's been probably the best round for the team overall in terms of picks to players. They traded up last year for Shamarko Thomas, helping wash out the neutrality of Landry Jones. Cortez Allen - another high ceiling player - came via the fourth round in 2011.

There's a lot to be optimistic with, but that same stratospheric ceiling existed for Sweed as well. Much of it will be up to Bryant. If he can make it happen, it could be one of the most memorable drafts of the Kevin Colbert Era.

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2014/5/10/5703846/steelers-draft-tall-receiver-martavis-bryant-clemson-scouting-breakdown[/URL]

[Shawn]

Good comparison. Sweed was the better WR coming out of college.

[calmkiller]

yea.......no!

[Slapstick]

Whether true or not, this is kind of good to hear (from his post draft presser):

"Pittsburgh is the place I wanted to come to,'' Bryant said. "I told my mom the whole time that I wanted to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. It's just a great city, and when I took my visit there I really enjoyed it. I had a great conversation with the receivers coach and liked him. So, it's a good place for me."

[hawaiiansteel]

Day 3: Steelers Fill Playmaking Needs

By Dale Lolley
For SteelCityInsider.net
Posted May 11, 2014



Martavis Bryant

After making the decision to select Archer over Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant in the third round Friday night, the Steelers caught a break when Bryant was still available in the fourth round.

Like Archer, Bryant (6-4, 211) is a game-breaker. Playing opposite Sammy Watkins, the first receiver taken in this year’s draft, Bryant caught 42 passes for 828 yards and 7 touchdowns last season.

For his career, he averaged 22.2 yards per catch on 61 receptions with 13 touchdowns, not getting a lot of playing time working behind Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins, a first-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2013.

“In previous drafts, this kid would have gone probably in the second round,” said Colbert. “But with the depth of the receivers, we were fortunate he was available to us in the fourth. He’s big and he’s fast and he’s raw. He’s got a lot of upside.”

[URL]http://pit.scout.com/2/1401703.html[/URL]