The Pittsburgh Steelers believe that they’ve got their WR1 of the present and the future in DK Metcalf. It took them a second-round pick in a trade, plus a sizeable contract extension, to do it. But they evidently believe it was worth it.
But where does DK Metcalf stack up against the rest of the league? Is he just a WR1 because he’s the best wide receiver on the team? Or is among the best of the best in the league? Former NFL WR Steve Smith Sr. and analyst James Palmer discussed some wide receiver rankings Monday on Smith’s YouTube channel. And the topic of one-trick ponies came up.
“Listen, I’ve got one one-trick pony here, and I didn’t call him a one-trick pony,” Palmer said. “It was said to me as I was going through receivers, and a DB coach said ‘That’s a one-trick pony,’ DK Metcalf. Here’s what he said. He’s like, ‘You have to respect it, though. You can put him outside and he’s going to run three routes. But you still have to respect all three routes, and you’re going to have to win in the air against him because that is a grown man that is going to consistently win.’ Now, he’s like ‘There’s not a lot to worry about, but there’s plenty to worry about, if you get what I’m saying.’”
It’s no secret that DK Metcalf is a deep threat. He’s averaged 14.4 yards on 438 career receptions (and 15+ yards per catch in four of his six seasons). But when our very own Alex Kozora looked at Metcalf’s film from his time with the Seattle Seahawks, he saw a wide receiver who could just as easily throttle down and run curl and comeback routes. He’s also quite good at running slat routes.
Perhaps those are the three general routes this defensive backs coach talked about: Deep balls (go/post routes), comebacks/curls, and slants. Maybe DK Metcalf might not run the full route tree like some other NFL receivers. So, you could make the argument he is a one-trick pony.
But, as the coach said, you have to respect Metcalf’s ability to run those routes he does well. Martial arts legend Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practice 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” It’s the idea that you focus on one (or three, in the case of Metcalf) things and practice them repeatedly. You may not have as many tricks in your bag as others, but you can execute the tricks you do have better than just about anyone out there. Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth has seen the detailed work Metcalf puts in with his own eyes.
Sure, defensive backs don’t have to worry about a lot with DK Metcalf in terms of the variety of routes he can run. But there is plenty to worry about with what he does do on the field. And that makes him a dangerous wide receiver.