The Steelers signed second-round draft pick James Washington to a four-year contract.
Washington, a wide receiver from Oklahoma State, is the fourth of the team's seven players from the 2018 NFL Draft to sign.
The Steelers were looking for a receiver who isn't a 'one trick pony' and they found him in Washington. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner said he comes in with the ability to play multiple positions, and is excited to have the explosive receiver in the mix.
"Tough guy, runs fast, scores touchdowns," said Fichtner. "If you look you see a lot of long catches. He likes to go down the yard. That is a need we were looking for. We are excited to have him. He runs fast and is powerful. He has a knack for getting down the yard.
"He is well-conditioned. He plays strong. He is not one of those high maintenance guys. He is no maintenance. He is intelligent. We would expect he would have the ability to come in, learn and hold down a position pretty quickly."
Washington, who set an Oklahoma State record with 4,472 receiving yards, second most in Big 12 history, will have plenty of good examples to learn from, in particular Antonio Brown.
"Just from watching Antonio Brown, he wasn't a high draft guy," said Washington. "But when he got his chance, he took it and ran with it. Now he is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. For a young guy like me to get behind him, and JuJu Smith-Schuster and those guys who have a few years under their belt and learn, it means something to me that I can be behind them and learn."
