Roethlisberger: 'I think Markus Wheaton is our breakout player of the year.'
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had some kind words for WR Markus Wheaton.
"To me, I think Markus Wheaton is our breakout player of the year... I want him to have that pressure... When we're in two wide receivers, he's our No. 2, and we're asking him to play outside. And when we go three wide receivers we're asking him to go inside, so he's playing multiple positions. And it's new for him. He's always been an outside guy and we're asking him to play in the slot when we have three wide receivers, and that's a completely different ballgame."
While these comments might slow down the Martavis Bryant hype train a bit, we're not worried. Roethlisberger mentioned Bryant first when talking about the receiver group (other than Antonio Brown) and the Steelers play a ton of three-WR so Bryant will be on the field plenty in his sophomore season. The breakout is still on. Wheaton is a solid late-round pick, especially in PPR drafts. By most accounts, rookie Sammie Coates hasn't had a great offseason, so Wheaton's snaps should be safe. Bottom line: We're still targeting Bryant in the 5th/6th round.
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