Every NFL team’s most overrated player heading into 2022

Overrated doesn’t necessarily mean bad. But these players aren’t living up to expectations.

The NFL has no shortage of talent, including a budding group of superstars and undervalued players who don’t get the recognition they deserve. But there are also plenty of players who are overvalued.

After looking at every team’s most underrated player, it’s time to look at the other side of the coin with the overrated players in the NFL.

Overrated doesn’t necessarily mean bad. It just means that these players aren’t living up to the hype, however fair or unfair it may be. For some, they’re underperforming in regards to their contract. For others, they’re not necessarily meeting the high expectations thrust upon them.

Our NFL Wire editors identified the most overrated player for each team heading into the 2022 season, explaining why they’re not exactly living up to hype.

Updated stock report on the Steelers 2019 NFL draft

Most of the Steelers 2019 NFL draft class has underperformed.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 NFL draft class is at that pivitol fifth season. This is when the team should have a clear understanding of what they have and in many cases have determined if they have earned that all-important second contract. Here is our stock up/stock down of the Steelers 2019 draft class heading to the 2022 season.

What if the Steelers quarterback plan goes wrong?

The Steelers are betting on Mitch Trubisky.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

For the past 18 seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had it made. Every season the Steelers coaches have gone into the season knowing they had Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback and everything would be fine. This means Pittsburgh has never had to do a great deal of planning for the future of the position.

But Roethlisberger’s retirement has left a void at quarterback and presents a unique challenge for the coaching staff. The Steelers chose to wait until this offseason to take any real steps toward replacing Big Ben, which could be a shortocming in itself. Nevertheless, here is the plan as best we can tell.

Free agent Mitch Trubisky was signed this offseason and is in line to be the starter. Trubisky is a former first-round pick who Pittsburgh is banking on a bounceback on a new team and in a new system.

But the Steelers took it a step further and went ahead and drafted former Pitt standout Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Pickett was the only quarterback drafted in the first two rounds which raises its own questions about Pickett as a prospect.

Nevertheless, this is the plan. Start Trubisky, hope he can play well enough to keep Pickett on the sidelines this season and go from there at the end of the season. But what if Trubisky falls flat early? Will this push Pickett onto the field early or will the coaches simply weather the storm?

Let us know in the comments, what should the Steelers do if things go wrong.

[vertical-gallery id=519060]

[listicle id=519317]

Will Steelers WR Diontae Johnson get a new contract this offseason?

Diontae Johnson wants a huge new contract but will he get it?

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

No team has spent more money on the defensive side of the football than the Pittsburgh Steelers. The disparity between how much of the salary cap has been allocated for defense as opposed to offense is the widest of any team in the league.

But one guy on offense the Steelers could spend some money on before the start of the regular season is wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Johnson is coming off of his first 100+ reception season and wants to be paid as he enters the final season of his rookie deal.

The market for free-agent wide receivers is very high right now and I’m sure Johnson is seeing that and wants to cash in. Having said that it’s not at all the Steelers style to overpay for a player but I’m sure the front office still wants to get his signed.

[crowdsignal poll=11160129]

Cast your vote and tell us if you think the team will get Johnson signed to a new contract before the start of the season.

[vertical-gallery id=519060]

[listicle id=519317]

Ranking the Steelers top fantasy football options in 2022

The Steelers have several solid fantasy football options.

The NFL season is nearly upon us whcih means fantasy football season is here. Millions of NFL fans play every year and if you are like most Pittsburgh Steelers fans, you want a player or two from your favorite team on your roster. Here is our ranking of the top Steelers options in fantasy football this season.

ESPN ranks Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick No. 2 safety in NFL

ESPN gives Minkah Fitzpatrick the respect he deserves.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The trade that brought safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers easily ranks among the best of Kevin Colbert’s tenure as general manager. In three seasons, Fitzpatrick has been named an All-Pro twice and in 2021 led the team in tackles. We already talked about where our friends over at Touchdown Wire ranked Fitzpatrick among the top safeties. Now let’s see what ESPN thinks.

Where TD Wire had Fitzpatrick ranked No. 11 on their rankings, ESPN was far more generous putting him at No. 2 behind only Denver Broncos safety Jeffrey Simmons. Here is what they had to say about it.

“Above the neck game — he can play strong and free safety and has range,” an NFC exec said. “Started for Miami as an outside corner as a rookie. How many safeties can handle that?”

Fitzpatrick had what many would call a down season in 2021 but it really just showed his versatility. With the run game struggling, Fitzpatrick was forced to go from his centerfield role where he can make those splash plays from the previous two seasons and had to focus on run stopping.

Pittsburgh made Fitzpatrick the highest-paid safety in the league this offseason with a new contract. Now the team is hoping the improvements made in the front seven will allow Fitzpatrick to focus on what he does best.

[vertical-gallery id=519060]

[listicle id=519098]