Steelreign : Wide Receiver Not the Answer with the First Pick

With the period of free agency upon us and with the loss of Mike Wallace being a foregone conclusion, it's been suggested early on that the Steelers should take a Wide Receiver with the 17th pick in the April NFL Draft and the name mentioned most was Cordarrelle Patterson out of Tennessee. While the Steelers are going to have to find a replacement for the deep threat that was Mike Wallace, the first round isn't the place to find it. For every receiver drafted in the first round who justifies his selection, there are almost two who bust out and never live up to the expectations.
Since 2000, there have been quite a few notable and highly touted Receivers coming out of college that fell flat on their faces for one reason or another, David Terrell, from Michigan, was drafted by the Chicago Bears, R. Jay Soward, from USC, was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Freddie Mitchell, from UCLA was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, Ashley Lelie, from Hawaii, was drafted by the Denver Broncos and perhaps the biggest bust, Charles Rodgers from Michigan State was drafted by the Detroit Lions.
Here is a look at the top 19 Wide Receivers heading into the 2012 season (one of the top 20 receivers was a Tight End so he wasn't included)

Wide Receiver Round Drafted 2012 Yardage Rank Quarterback

C. Johnson 1st Round 1 Stafford

L. Fitzgerald 1st Round 41 Kolb, Skelton

A. Johnson 1st Round 2 Shaub

W. Welker Undrafted 8 Brady

R. White 1st Round 9 Ryan

B. Marshall 4th Round 3 Cutler

G. Jennings 2nd Round 124 Rogers

H. Nicks 1st Round 56 E. Manning

S. Smith 3rd Round 12 Newton

M. Wallace 3rd Round 34 Roethlisberger

V. Cruz Undrafted 15 E. Manning

D. Jackson 2nd Round 54 Vick

D. Bowe 1st Round 40 Cassell

J. Nelson 2nd Round 50 Rogers

V. Jackson 2nd Round 5 Freeman

M. Colston 7th Round 13 Brees

R. Wayne 1st Round 7 Luck

J. Jones 1st Round 11 Ryan

D. Bryant 1st Round 6 Romo

9 of the top 20 Wide Receivers were drafted in the first round.
5 of the 9 first rounders finished in the top 10 for receiving yards.
6 of the 9 first rounders finished in the top 20 for receiving yards.
6 of the top 20 wide receivers were drafted in the third round or later, 2 were undrafted.
Since 1970, the Steelers have drafted seven Wide Receivers in the first round, Frank Lewis (1971), Lynn Swann (1974), Louis Lipps (1984), Charles Johnson (1994), Troy Edwards (1999), Plaxico Burress (2000) and Santonio Holmes (2006). Out of these seven first round picks, the best careers were put together by Lynn Swann and Louis Lipps. Yes, Santonio Holmes is a Super Bowl MVP and Plaxico Burress caught the touchdown pass that got the NY Giants a Super Bowl Title, but the most consistant ones over the course of their careers out of these seven Steelers receivers were Lynn Swann and Louis Lipps. The top 2 wide Receivers in Steelers history were drafted after the first round, Hines Ward (2nd Round) and John Stallworth (4th Round) and the last years team MVP, Antonio Brown is a sixth round draft pick.
In my opinion, when you spend a number one pick on a Wide Receiver, you do it not based on need, but when you have the luxury of not needing them to be a main fixture of your offense right away. Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are more the exception than the rule and with a less than 50% success rate of hitting on a first round Wide Receiver, it's not worth the risk. When you consider that the Steelers just released James Harrison, a position already in need just became a greater need and with the upcoming draft, I suggest that Outside Linebacker is where the Steelers start first.