Anatomy of a Receiver: Deon Cain

[Steeler Nation]

By G.Stryker SteelerNation.com Deon Cain is the newest addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers receiving corps. He has good size and speed at 6’2” 202 lbs, and runs a 4.43 40. That’s everything you want when selecting a receiver. Cain played three years at Clemson where he amassed 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in, winning a […]

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[bermudasteel]

Hmmm...I will admit that I wasn't interested in Cain so I didn't do any research on him.

I see a lot of Martavis Bryant in his game...

 

[Stryker]

Hmmm...I will admit that I wasn't interested in Cain so I didn't do any research on him.

I see a lot of Martavis Bryant in his game...

He has way better hands than Bryant and highpoints the ball excellently. He's not as fast or tall as Bryant, but I see a higher ceiling.

Problem is, I see him only as a Z on this team. We already have Washington and Holton signed. Unless the team is looking to drop Holton, we don't have a backup X or slot signed, other than Quadree hitting the PS.

 

[Hines57]

He has way better hands than Bryant and highpoints the ball excellently. He's not as fast or tall as Bryant, but I see a higher ceiling.

Problem is, I see him only as a Z on this team. We already have Washington and Holton signed. Unless the team is looking to drop Holton, we don't have a backup X or slot signed, other than Quadree hitting the PS.

Holton has been abominable out there. Only reason he's still on the roster is because of injuries to others.

 

[Muddler]

From the article it seems like maybe they brought him in to compete with Holton - that can't be a bad thing.

Analysis:

Deon Cain appears to do one thing really well — run the fly pattern for deep passes. This is usually the role of the Z receiver or 4th WR, so the Steelers may be asking him to compete with James Washington and Johnny Holton for deep balls. I do really like the way he high points deep footballs, and his hand mechanics look very good. I’m not sure how he translates to short/intermediate routes since there wasn’t a lot of tape here to show it.

Deon may be a one-trick pony, but if he does that trick well, you use it. He does have ideal size and speed for the prototypical NFL receiver. It will be up to the Steelers to see if they can maximize that potential to find another diamond in the rough.

 

[Hines57]

From the article it seems like maybe they brought him in to compete with Holton - that can't be a bad thing.

Analysis:

Deon Cain appears to do one thing really well — run the fly pattern for deep passes. This is usually the role of the Z receiver or 4th WR, so the Steelers may be asking him to compete with James Washington and Johnny Holton for deep balls. I do really like the way he high points deep footballs, and his hand mechanics look very good. I’m not sure how he translates to short/intermediate routes since there wasn’t a lot of tape here to show it.

Deon may be a one-trick pony, but if he does that trick well, you use it. He does have ideal size and speed for the prototypical NFL receiver. It will be up to the Steelers to see if they can maximize that potential to find another diamond in the rough.

That makes sense when you consider Holton hasn't been able to catch anything deep.

 

[Superman]

Holton shouldn't be rostered.
I'd cut Holton yesterday. Dude either has really tiny palms or is missing multiple fingers on both hands.

 

[SteveA]

Holton shouldn't be rostered.
I'd cut Holton yesterday. Dude either has really tiny palms or is missing multiple fingers on both hands.

We do take our football seriously......

 

[madinsomniac]

Good article... I approve of this guy... they needed consistent speed and separation in a deep threat... Holton wasn’t that...

 

[F83]

i was hoping we would take him on day 3 rnd 5 I believe he went in 6th

 

[F83]

if anything if like Bryant hopefully will be better than samite coates

 

[TDX27]

Sounds like a one trick pony which makes no sense for what we need.

 

[SteveA]

I will take a one trick anything ******* right now

 

[TDX27]

Doubt he even dresses. Holton will get a hat every week because of special teams.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

I'd take a pony right now.

 

[bermudasteel]

He has way better hands than Bryant and highpoints the ball excellently. He's not as fast or tall as Bryant, but I see a higher ceiling.

Problem is, I see him only as a Z on this team. We already have Washington and Holton signed. Unless the team is looking to drop Holton, we don't have a backup X or slot signed, other than Quadree hitting the PS.

I would have bought Holton a bicycle and had him riding out of Pittsburgh on Monday morning...