The Steelers’ acquisition of receiver DK Metcalf brings a threat that doubles down on their downfield big-play ability with George Pickens still on the roster.
Metcalf’s 16 receptions on passes that traveled 20 yards or more led the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and Pickens’ 15 such receptions were second in the league. But how Metcalf goes about his business is different from Pickens in their natural build and how they go about attacking the deep ball.
Here’s a look at what the Steelers’ newest addition at receiver brings to the table:
Plays big on big plays
Where Pickens would normally pinpoint a high ball and showcase his ball skills with his wiry 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame, Metcalf uses his 6-foot-4, 235-pound size to box opponents out more often on jump balls.
Both are among the best at catching deep passes. Pickens’ 51.7% catch rate is fifth best in the NFL with Metcalf just behind him, tied with Ja’Marr Chase at 50%. But often when you see Metcalf win, he uses his frame to box out his opponents and make it more difficult for them to contend for the catch.
Here’s an example of a play he made on a pass from receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba against the Falcons last year.
While it’s not a traditional go route — Metcalf’s start on the play was to sell the idea he was blocking for a reverse — the play was a designed shot to give Metcalf a one-on-one chance against a single cornerback. Notice how Metcalf made sure to position the cornerback with his hands before he turned to find the pass and how that freed him up to catch the ball.
You see that from Pickens here and there but not as often as Metcalf uses that skill. But outside of that, both receivers share several similar traits. Both players like to use their hands to combat defenders on deeper routes and do well on contested catches on deep passes.
Out of the 10 NFL receivers who were targeted at least 25 times on deep balls, Metcalf’s and Pickens’ contested catch rates on deep passes almost mirror each other, with Metcalf at 42.9% and Pickens at 41.7%, fifth and sixth best among that group.
Both also know how to beat press coverage just enough to present the right pocket for a back-shoulder throw several yards downfield. Next Gen Stats charts Metcalf as facing press coverage on 30.8% of his routes, while Pickens is pressed on 28.8% of his routes.
While it’s not the top of the NFL, it’s a significant rate that shows teams are less inclined to press either receiver. Chase faced press coverage on 35.4% of his routes last season, and Justin Jefferson faced press coverage on 34.9% — both far more often than Metcalf and Pickens.
Metcalf’s size and strength makes him difficult to jam at the line of scrimmage with press coverage, while his speed threatens cornerbacks with a constant ability to use his speed to get behind them and be an open target for a big play.
Here was Metcalf against the Jets’ Sauce Gardner — a two-time All-Pro cornerback — last season in an example of when Metcalf was pressed by a highly touted cornerback.
Notice how Gardner tried to put his hands in Metcalf’s chest at the start of the play, but Metcalf’s ability to get off the ball on the snap allowed him to side step the punch from Gardner and take off down the sideline. That one missed punch gave Metcalf enough time to accelerate and present the target for Geno Smith to hit his back shoulder for 28 yards.
Because of Metcalf’s size, even the more talented cornerbacks will often back off him in coverage as an effort to minimize how much he can use his frame to beat them on a route. But even when they do, Metcalf can still end up boxing out even talented cornerbacks like the reigning defensive player of the year, the Broncos’ Patrick Surtain II.
Before the start of the play, Metcalf lined up as the sole receiver to the left of the formation with Surtain backed off by five yards. The Seahawks motioned another receiver to line up outside of Metcalf, turning him into a slot option. On the play, Metcalf used the threat of his hands to keep Surtain from engaging him and controlling the route once he broke to the middle of the field.
Metcalf’s route wasn’t the sharpest, but his size and strength make cornerbacks question when and how often they want to be aggressive with their physicality against him.
Route running
Where Metcalf and Pickens share another characteristic is in their ability to create separation in their first break of a route. Next Gen Stats charts Metcalf as creating an average separation of 2.6 yards per target, which ranks 65th among qualified receivers. That’s better than Pickens’ average of 2.4 yards of separation per target but still among the bottom third of NFL receivers.
If a cornerback is able to avoid Metcalf’s efforts to use his size to bully them off their spot in coverage, they can properly maneuver around his routes that are closer to the line of scrimmage and stay tight on him to make a play on the ball.
Here’s an example against Gardner from the same game when Metcalf’s lack of shiftiness was properly bottled up by the All-Pro cornerback to force an incomplete pass. On the play, Gardner didn’t bite on Metcalf’s attempts to sell the false threat of running an in-breaking route, and that allowed Gardner to maintain inside leverage while pinning Metcalf to the sideline and knock the ball away.
Metcalf won’t be mistaken for a route-running technician, but he still has dangerous elements when it comes to getting open. That part of his game is more evident once Metcalf gets well into his route and contributes to his skills as a deep-ball threat.
Once Metcalf gets into his route, his speed gives him the ability to sell the threat of breaking in any direction to cornerbacks and safeties who have to react quickly to counter. That puts defensive backs in guessing games, and if a quarterback has the time, those become dangerous routes that can turn into home run passes.
Here’s an example against D.J. Reed, where Metcalf used a stutter step to fool Reed into overplaying for inside leverage. All it took was for Reed to make two wrong steps, and Metcalf was able to quickly accelerate past him to create an open target for Smith.
That ability to use his straight-line speed to back off defenders at the second level of his routes adds to Metcalf’s ability to be a big-play receiver. Once he’s into his route, his ability to accelerate makes it so even if a defensive back hesitates, it can lead to a big play.
Here was another example against the Falcons last year, when Metcalf sold a feint to the outside and got both his cornerback and the safety playing to help in deep coverage to bite on the threat of him running outside. Once that happened, the middle of the field was wide open and Metcalf scored a touchdown.
The question for the Steelers will be whether they can create an efficient passing offense with two playmakers that share several qualities the way Metcalf and Pickens do.
Both are threats, but if teams find a formula that challenges the Steelers to win with a shifty route-running receiver that creates separation, that could fall to Calvin Austin III or Roman Wilson to fill that role. And if neither is up for it, that could lead to a stall in their plans in 2025.
First Published: March 13, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: March 13, 2025, 9:59 a.m.
