Sammie Coates may be the most important receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016, after Antonio Brown.
And Coates only caught one regular season pass in 2015.
Coates has never been short on raw ability. He pairs his 6-foot-1, 212 pounds and 33 3/8 inch arm-stature with 4.43 second 40-yard dash time. In college, he used his size/speed ability to average 21 yards per reception, and showed the ability to create separation everywhere on the field.
The ability is there for Coates to be a star receiver, but he also has a high potential to be a bust.
When Coates was drafted in the third round last May, scouts worried about his ability to adjust to the pro game. The offense he played in at Auburn had him running a simplified route tree, and was underdeveloped due to a stiff lower body and inconsistent play speed. But his biggest problem was his hands, dropping 19 percent of his targets. NFL.com compared him to none other than current teammate Martavis Bryant.
Since he was so underdeveloped, the Steelers essentially gave Coates a redshirt rookie season to work with wide receivers coach Richard Mann. Coates only had the one reception, and only dressed in six regular season games while learning the pro game. But when Antonio Brown was injured in the Steelers’ Wild Card win causing him to miss the Divisional round, Coates provided a couple big plays in his absence.
Coates made an immediate impact against the Denver Broncos, with his first reception going for 41 yards. On the reception he was able to get separation from cornerback Chris Harris Jr. on a drag route six yards from the line of scrimmage, make the catch and circle around Harris and out run two defenders before eventually being pushed out of bounds. Harris had to respect Coates’ speed on the play, causing Harris to play a softer cushion and allow Coates to get space underneath.
Late in the third quarter, Coates was able to get away from Harris again, this time on an in route about 15-yards from the line of scrimmage. Coates got separation when he made his cut and was wide open when he caught the pass, which eventually would go for 21-yards.
Those were the only catches he had on the day, but both showed Coates’ ability to use his speed to get open and get yards after the catch.
Besides Brown, there is uncertainty surrounding the future of the Steelers’ wide receiver position. Markus Wheaton is a free agent after the 2016 season, while Bryant has yet to show he can be relied about as a consistent starting option since he has a tendency to disappear at times during games. Darrius Heyward-Bey is also a free agent, and is a reserve option at best.
That is why Coates is so important to the Steelers. If he continues to develop and eventually become a quality starter it could allow the Steelers to not overpay Wheaton and allow Bryant to remain in a reserve role where he typically does better at.
Coates has a similar skill set to Brown–both use their speed to get open anywhere on the field, now Coates needs to develop the same fluidity and catching ability Brown uses.
How Coates develops over the spring practices and into training camp will be an important story to watch. We could be watching the development of the next great Steelers receiver.
