Apr 23, 2016 4 min read

After signing free-agent tight end Lardarius Green following the retirement of Heath Miller in February, the Steelers appeared to have addressed their biggest need on offense.

Then, last month, receiver Martavis Bryant was suspended for the 2016 season for violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy, creating another hole in what should be one of the league’s top offenses.

The Steelers will have an opportunity to address the loss of Bryant when the NFL holds its three-day, seven-round draft starting Thursday. The Steelers have seven selections in the draft including the 25th pick in the first round.

Given the success the Steelers have had acquiring wide receivers in the mid- to late rounds, Pittsburgh can wait if it chooses to take a player at that position.

Star receiver Antonio Brown was a sixth-round draft pick, and Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates were both third-round selections. The Steelers also re-signed veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey and has promising youngsters Eli Rogers and Shakim Phillips, a pair of undrafted free agents signed last year.

Laquon Treadwell of Mississippi, Corey Coleman of Baylor, Will Fuller of Notre Dame and TCU’s Josh Doctson are all potential first-round draft picks in this year’s draft.

Tyler Boyd of Pitt should hear his name called sometime in the second round. The former Clairton High School player has come a long way since he was tearing up the fields of Washington County against the likes of Avella, Fort Cherry and Chartiers-Houston in the Black Hills Conference.

In three seasons at Pitt, Boyd caught 254 passes for 3,361 yards and 21 touchdowns, breaking many of Larry Fitzgerald’s school records along the way.

Like Fitzgerald, Boyd isn’t a burner. He ran in the mid-4.5s in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and at his pro day. Like Fitzgerald, he’s an outstanding route runner and has strong hands.

Boyd was used in many positions by the Panthers, even lining up in the backfield at times.

“I’m a leaner and taller guy – inside or outside, my routes are crisp,” the 6-2, 200-pound Boyd said. “I know how to work (inside and out), so I feel like I have an edge over the guy who is going be challenging me in the slot because I’d be taller and a little more physical. I believe that is where I can create most of my mismatches.”

Boyd, who also returned punts and kickoffs at Pitt, did have an off-field issue last summer, getting a citation for driving under the influence, but he says he has put that misstep behind him.

“I’ve definitely grown a lot from that,” said Boyd, who was suspended for Pitt’s opener last season. “My decision-making skills have definitely improved. As I’ve aged, I made sure I’ve surrounded myself with all the right people. At the time, I felt my circle was too big, and I eliminated a lot of things. Now, I realize what I have to do to pretty much handle myself and not follow after other people.”

The Steelers have shown some interest in Boyd as well as some other intriguing receiving prospects, South Carolina’s Pharoh Cooper, Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard and Baylor’s Jay Lee among them.

Cooper and Shepard are both cosidered mid-round draft picks while Lee is a late-round prospect.

Cooper’s 66 catches last season were 10 more than the rest of South Carolina’s receivers had combined, so he’s accustomed to being the focus of opposing defenses, something he wouldn’t be while playing on the same field as Brown. Like Boyd, because of the attention he received from opponents, Cooper was used all over the field by the Gamecocks.

“I believe that’s going to help me at the next level, being able to move around from the inside slot to the outside, go in the backfield and play Wildcat if I have to,” Cooper said.

Shepard is a small, speedy receiver like Brown. He used his quickness to get open. Lee, at 6-1, 214, uses his size to win downfield battles.

With the addition of Green, the Steelers appear to be set at tight end with Jesse James, a fifth-round draft pick last year, and veteran Matt Spaeth returning. The Steelers like prospect Xavier Grimble, who spent the 2015 season on the practice squad.