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Anatomy of a WR: Justin Hunter

I think Ayers still has a decent shot at making the roster. And remember preseason will also give him that extra opportunity.

Bryant
AB
Coates
Hunter
Eli
DHB
Juju

If they tire of Coates it could lock him in.... or they see a decline in DHB....

or heaven forbid a injury at the position.

I think is is a bubble player, and the depth is crazy this year. But it isn't mission impossible Ethan.
 
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 2
While Martavis Bryant worked on his conditioning and caught passes on the middle field, Justin Hunter opened up the passing portion of team scrimmage by running by Ross Cockrell and under a deep bomb from Ben Roethlisberger. It was the first snap of the period and ignited the crowd on hand for Monday's practice. It also must've sent the scribes to their twitter feeds because it seems -- judging by all of the Justin Hunter acclaim in the media that night and the next day -- that they missed the fourth snap. Hunter cut over the middle and dropped a Roethlisberger pass upon being hit by Cockrell. Hunter later dropped another pass on a short dig route.
Not to temper all of the enthusiasm coming out of camp about the 6-4 wide receiver, but that has been the knock on Hunter, that he fears contact. That's usually the problem with track stars who play football, as opposed to Bryant, the football star who probably could run track. It's also true of most receivers who've been hit hard enough to lacerate a spleen, as Hunter was in 2014.
He's shown an ability to go up and snare the ball in the red zone, and can win deep, but when a 4.44 receiver can't outrun the 4.40 corners in the league, the 4.44 receiver's going to have a difficult time winning over the middle. At least that appears to be the case with Hunter after two padded practices.


http://scout.com/nfl/steelers/Artic...ry-takes-readers-behind-the-scenes--105595612
 
I know Ayers is sitting on the outside of the bubble right now, looking for a way in....I saw Ed's comments yesterday about him not thinking Ayers was a PR.but until he is out of the battle for the PR duties he still has a shot. He also needs to remain consistent in catching what ever is thrown his way and show some elusiveness once he makes the completion. Lots of time left for him to make a case for himself and the talent level of the others in the hunt to be fully examined.....
 
Hines57 said:
Sorry Coolie but Ayers isn't making the roster. He's a practice squad player for us with everyone we have. He would literally need a few players in front of him to be hurt to be on the roster, same deal for him as last year. That says a lot to me about why he won't be on the roster.

From Ed B's chat transcript:

John: How has Demarcus Ayers looked so far? We could use a legitimate punt returner.
Ed Bouchette: I'm not sure he's a strong candidate to return punts.
Click to expand...

My thoughts with an *.

Ayers, A.K.A. our Rudy WR, might make the team. Hunter is impressing early. Rogers a fit for the slot. Ju-Ju a lock as a 2nd round pick, and a short to mid ranged type.

If Bryant is cleared and the Steelers trust him I see the top 5 as thus

1 ) Brown
2 ) Bryant

3 ) Rogers - Starting slot
4 ) Ju-Ju - Slot and 4 man set
5 ) Hunter - 3rd down WR, End zone threat.

Do we keep six Wr's? Maybe but he'd better be a top return guy. Davis can return KO's, and Brown Punts.

Ayers minus an injury or failed drug test to me is the odd man out. Too bad, he's a tough gamer type.
 
Coach said:
My thoughts with an *.

Ayers, A.K.A. our Rudy WR, might make the team. Hunter is impressing early. Rogers a fit for the slot. Ju-Ju a lock as a 2nd round pick, and a short to mid ranged type.

If Bryant is cleared and the Steelers trust him I see the top 5 as thus

1 ) Brown
2 ) Bryant

3 ) Rogers - Starting slot
4 ) Ju-Ju - Slot and 4 man set
5 ) Hunter - 3rd down WR, End zone threat.

Do we keep six Wr's? Maybe but he'd better be a top return guy. Davis can return KO's, and Brown Punts.

Ayers minus an injury or failed drug test to me is the odd man out. Too bad, he's a tough gamer type.
Click to expand...

I think too many are discounting DHB. He's a ST contributor and that mean's a lot with Tomlin.

AB
Bryant (asterisk on this one)
Juju (2nd round pick, he's going to play)
Hunter
DHB

Outside looking in:
Coates
Rogers
Ayers
Hamilton
 
Hines57 said:
I think too many are discounting DHB. He's a ST contributor and that mean's a lot with Tomlin.

AB
Bryant (asterisk on this one)
Juju (2nd round pick, he's going to play)
Hunter
DHB

Outside looking in:
Coates
Rogers
Ayers
Hamilton
Click to expand...



Sorry, they don't keep Coates over ELI...................... Right now I think DHB & AYERS are neck and neck............for last spot




Salute the nation
 
Hines57 said:
I think too many are discounting DHB. He's a ST contributor and that mean's a lot with Tomlin.

AB
Bryant (asterisk on this one)
Juju (2nd round pick, he's going to play)
Hunter
DHB

Outside looking in:
Coates
Rogers
Ayers
Hamilton
Click to expand...



DHB is reliable, but I think Hunter as a receiver adds more.

I'd trade Coates right now for a 5th round pick.
 
Hines57 said:
I think too many are discounting DHB. He's a ST contributor and that mean's a lot with Tomlin.

AB
Bryant (asterisk on this one)
Juju (2nd round pick, he's going to play)
Hunter
DHB

Outside looking in:
Coates
Rogers
Ayers
Hamilton
Click to expand...

Not sure how you have Hunter ahead of Rogers who was pretty solid out of the slot last season....
 
CoolieMan said:
Not sure how you have Hunter ahead of Rogers who was pretty solid out of the slot last season....
Click to expand...

Hunter signed a $775K + 80K signing bonus contract. Rogers is at $541K.

Last year is last year.

Hunter is a better player than Rogers IMO.

Maybe DHB gets cut and they carry Rogers or maybe they go to 6 WR on the roster. This is what training camp and preseason is all about. They are all battling for a spot on the team.
 
Coach said:
DHB is reliable, but I think Hunter as a receiver adds more.

I'd trade Coates right now for a 5th round pick.
Click to expand...

DHB is reliable? hopefully you just mean on special teams...he is 50/50 at best as a WR
 
CoolieMan said:
the day 4 camp report thread has stats through the 4 days....Hunter has caught 9/16 passes thrown his way....56%.....granted 4 of those were TDs....but from reports he is shaky on contested passes
Click to expand...

There's no substitute for size. You want a guy 6'4" who can fly or a little midget? AB is an exception to this.
 
Hines57 said:
https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/892771324472565760

Roethlisberger: "I don't want to get too excited too early, but I really like the presence that (Justin Hunter) brings."
Click to expand...

as Ben said, it is early.....there is a reason he was available....inconsistency.....maybe being with Ben fixes it....but from what was previously posted he seems to be having issues when facing contact....which would just make him a healthy version of Coates....but we will see over the rest of camp and the preseason games how he does
 
Steelers' Justin Hunter: Impresses Roethlisberger
RotowireAug 3 2017, 12:24
Ben Roethlisberger said he likes the presence Hunter brings to the offense, ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler reports.

Analysis:

The 2013 second-round selection never met expectations in Tennessee and only caught 10 passes in Buffalo last season, but he's at least shown some ability to get down the field with 12 touchdowns and a 16.7 YPR mark on 78 career catches. While still a long shot to make the final roster despite drawing praise from his new team's quarterback, Hunter could challenge Sammie Coates for a role as an occasional deep threat. The Steelers do seem to be in good shape at wide receiver so long as Martavis Bryant is fully reinstated at some point during training camp. Eli Rogers likely will man the slot in three-wide formations, and rookie second-rounder JuJu Smith-Schuster could be the top backup at multiple spots.


Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app
 
CoolieMan said:
I want a guy who can catch
Click to expand...
I think Ive heard Hunters name mentioned after every practice. I dont think Ive heard Ayers once. He better get it going quick. They seem locked into 5 with one spot left. Though Hunter will have to continue his pace no question.
 
SteelerSask said:
I think Ive heard Hunters name mentioned after every practice. I dont think Ive heard Ayers once. He better get it going quick. They seem locked into 5 with one spot left. Though Hunter will have to continue his pace no question.
Click to expand...

if we go by the stats posted in the other thread, Ayers has caught 75% of the passes thrown his way....best among WRs, and scored 1 TD....DHB is at 33%.....

still early though, but yeah it would be nice to get more splash plays out of Ayers, but from reports he is mostly getting reps with Jones and Dobbs....
 
Just things catching attention. The coaches review the practice film. They see every rep. Plus the preseason live action usually seperates. Hopefully Ayers gets a good look with the seconds.
 
SteelerSask said:
Just things catching attention. The coaches review the practice film. They see every rep. Plus the preseason live action usually seperates. Hopefully Ayers gets a good look with the seconds.
Click to expand...

Hunter has benefited from Bryant and Coates absence, he's basically splitting reps with DHB.
Ayers is behind AB, Rogers and JuJu in the depth chart
 
About where I had him. Competing for sixth behind AB,Bryant, Rogers, Juju and Hunter. Still in the mix with DHB, Coates,Hamilton and anyone else. They will keep 6 in my mind almost certainly.
 
Stats first 4 practices

Wide Receiver Catches/Targets/Touchdowns

Justin Hunter: 9/16 (56.3%) 4 TDs
Antonio Brown: 7/16 (43.8%) 0 TDs
Cobi Hamilton: 5/12 (41.7%) 1 TD
Jesse James: 7/11 (63.6%)
Eli Rogers: 5/10 (50%)
Marcus Tucker: 8/9 (88.9%)
Demarcus Ayers: 6/8 (75%) 1 TD
Fitzgerald Toussaint: 4/7 (57.1%)
Phazahn Odom: 2/7 (28.6%)
Canaan Severin: 3/6 (50%)
Darrius Heyward-Bey: 2/6 (33%)
Xavier Grimble: 2/4 (50%) 1 TD
David Johnson: 4/4 (100%) 1 TD
Roosevelt Nix: 3/4 (75%)
Knile Davis: 4/4 (100%)
Terrell Watson: 4/4 (100%)
James Conner: 3/4 (75%) 1 TD
Scott Orndoff: 3/3 (100%) 1 TD
Trey Williams: 1/2 (50%)
Brandon Brown-Dukes: 1/2 (50%)
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 0/1 (0%)

Practices 5-9
Antonio Brown: 10/14 (71.4%) 2 TDs
Justin Hunter: 4/10 (40%)
Eli Rogers: 7/12 (58.3%) 2 TDs
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 11/15 (73.3%) 2 TDs
Demarcus Ayers: 7/11 (63.6%) 1 TD
Jesse James: 5/10 (50%) 3 TDs
David Johnson: 3/9 (33.3%)
Xavier Grimble: 5/9 (55.6%) 3 TDs
Jake McGee: 3/5 (60%)
Marcus Tucker: 6/12 (50%) 3 TDs
Fitzgerald Toussaint: 1/1 (100%)
Canaan Severin: 2/4 (50%) 2 TDs
Knile Davis: 8/8 (100%) 1 TD
Brandon Brown-Dukes: 1/1 (100%)
Terrell Watson: 4/5 (80%)
Roosevelt Nix: 2/3 (66.7%) 1 TD
Darrius Heyward-Bey: 6/11 (54.5%) 1 TD
Cobi Hamilton: 8/13 (58.3%) 2 TDs
Trey Williams: 1/1 (100%)
Phazahn Odom: 2/3 (66.7%) 1 TD

Total all practices

Antonio Brown: 17/30 (56.7%) 2 TDs
Justin Hunter: 13/26 (50%) 4 TDs
Cobi Hamilton: 12/24 (50%) 2 TDs
Eli Rogers: 12/22 (54.5%) 2 TDs
Jesse James: 12/21 (57.1%) 3 TDs
Marcus Tucker: 14/21 (66.7%) 3 TDs
Demarcus Ayers: 13/19 (68.4%) 2 TDs
Darrius Heyward-Bey: 8/17 (47.1%) 1 TD
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 11/16 (68.8%) 2 TDs
Xavier Grimble: 7/13 (53.8%) 4 TDs
David Johnson: 7/13 (53.8%) 1 TD
Knile Davis: 12/12 (100%) 1 TD
Canaan Severin: 5/10 (50%) 2 TDs
Phazahn Odom: 4/10 (40%) 1 TD
Terrell Watson: – 8/9 (88.9%)
Roosevelt Nix: -5/8 (62.5%) 1 TD
Fitzgerald Toussaint: 5/6 (83.3%)
Jake McGee: 3/5 (60%)
James Conner: 3/4 (75%) 1 TD
Scott Orndoff: 3/3 (100%) 1 TD
Trey Williams: 2/3 (66.7%)
Brandon Brown-Dukes: 2/3 (66.7%)
 
From all the practices I have been to, a lot in the last week. Hunter is the mixed bag as reported in this thread. Seems to have started strong but faded.He will have to have show better consistency in the preseason games to stick IMO>

Could very well go down to the 53 cut downs for a decide.
 
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