Donte Moncrief’s never been short on potential. When you’re a monstrous 6’2″ & 222 lbs that moves at Combine-leading speed (4.4) and verticality (39.5 inches), the sky will always be the limit.
But significant access to one of the NFL’s largest, most wide-open Aerial Pies doesn’t hurt, either. Between the departures of legend Antonio Brown and less-legendary Jesse James, the Steelers vacated 240 targets (35.5%) and 2,547 Air Yards (49.1%). Yes, JuJu Smith Schuster will command the largest slice, but the Guest of Honor share is still largely available. In short, Moncrief has the ultimate opportunity to capitalize upon his ultimate ability in Pittsburgh.
Will he finally seize it?
Whenever Moncrief has had competent QB-play, he’s been a scoring machine. In 14 GP with Andrew Luck, Moncrief has recorded 12 TDs — nearly 1 per game. Unsurprising, considering his uncanny blend of size, speed, and leaping ability.
Unfortunately, Moncrief’s once-exploding ceiling has been anchored by Blake Bortles and Jacoby Brissett in back-to-back seasons.
Yes, players with back-to-back useless seasons rarely rebound to sudden stardom. Yet, this is as great of a “Surrounding Talent” and “Usage” injection as we’ve ever seen in an offseason.
If nothing else, no team evaluates WRs better than the Steelers. If they believe in Moncrief, so should you. He absolutely has all the upside Martavis Bryant once brought to the table, without any of the headache risk.
Either way, an insanely large, valuable target share is open in Pittsburgh. Sure, promising sophomore James Washington, or the uber-athletic Vance McDonald could claim significant slices. The team feels likely to tap into a loaded rookie class of WRs. Still, Moncrief, who has every shot to claim the No.2 role, is my personal favorite. If his 181 ECR doesn’t take a +100 spike, Moncrief will be a screaming bargain in 2019.
