The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy prepping for the start of the 2023 NFL season. Now that the draft and free agency are winding down, we have entered the time where everyone starts to make predictions and state expectations.
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Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker TJ Watt
Former Steelers linebackers, Arthur Moats and Terence Garvin decided to put a different spin on it. They did a segment on Moats' podcast, The Arthur Moats Experience, where they selected who their top five Steelers players for 2023 will be. Moats led into it with some clarification.
"We know that we got a lot of guys that we have expectations for, we know have to play well, but just because you have to play well, that doesn't mean that you're one of our best five players."
Garvin agrees that it is deeper than most people will think. It's the "five best, not the best five." He said these would be the five "dawgs" you'd pick to roll with you.
Terence Garvin Names His Top Five 2023 Steelers Players
"T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, George Pickens, KP8 [Kenny Pickett], there are so many really good ones. Next gotta be PP [Pat Peterson], gotta be Pat P. at five."
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Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick (#39) is introduced at Heinz Field in 2021.
Immediately Moats is shocked, "You didn't name Minkah Fitzpatrick!" This makes Garvin groan and say this is harder than it sounds. No matter what, with only five players, you are leaving someone incredible out. That causes him to revise his list.
"It's TJ, it's Minkah, it's Cam, George Pickens, and KP8," amends Garvin.
Arthur Moats Names His Top Five 2023 Steelers Players
"Now that you corrected your top five, we're kind of on the same page, because I had TJ at one. At two, I had Minkah. Minkah is an absolute dog, not just in the physical sense of when you watch him play the run, but he creates the turnovers, he plays the sexy position. Me and you are obviously dudes that watch tape, we can see even when he's not making the play how he's impacting the play, how he's influencing the play. Then for three, I have Cam Heyward."
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Steelers second-year wide receiver George Pickens is expected to take a big leap in year two, but will need Matt Canada to devise a plan that maximizes his talent for that to happen.
Moats said that for him, the big difference between Heyward and Fitzpatrick is that Fitzpatrick is younger. He feels like that will allow Fitzpatrick to impact the game for longer. He said that at times, he felt like Heyward wasn't as present in games where it always seems like Fitzpatrick is making an impact. He said that it becomes a matter of "splitting hairs" because they are both such excellent players.
"After that, I had Pat P. at four, then I'm like Kenny, George, Naj [Najee Harris], Muth [Pat Freiermuth], [Isaac] Seumalo. [Alex] Highsmith, I'm like we could go down this list, but I'm like Pat P, he's coming off of 15 (passes defended) and five picks, that's what he's coming off of. So that's why I have him at four."
Garvin notes that he played college football against Peterson. Moats laughs because Peterson is still playing at such a high level for such a long time - he went into the league before Garvin and is still playing, while Garvin has been retired for a few years now. Peterson shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
"At five, this is where it got crazy for me. Kenny, I feel like I lean toward him, but at the same time, I'm like Naj is heavily in that combo, but Naj did have ups and downs last season, I take that into context. George yes, but Diontae I feel like has been more consistent, even though it was just George Pickens' first season."
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett made some good progress in 2022 and will need to keep improving to jump up the rankings again in 2023.
Moats says it is hard to gauge who is better, a guy who's only played for one year, or a guy that has played for four. Garvin says he feels as though Pickens has done enough in that short time to show that he is a better receiver than Johnson. Moats said that projecting potential can be tricky.
"What Diontae has done is nice," says Moats. "Don't sleep on that. But at the same time, Pickens' potential is crazy. I go back and forth between them three. Muth has been a little banged up, so that kind of took him out of the convo for me. The offensive linemen still have to actually show that this improved group is gonna actually play better."
Moats says that for those three offensive players - Pickett, Pickens, and Freiermuth, it is hard to pick just one, but he leans towards either Pickett or Pickens. Garvin thinks that Pickens is going to go wild this season.
"Initially I wrote GP because I think he has the higher ceiling of all of them, Kenny included, but then I'm like man, Kenny plays quarterback and we know what that position is like, especially at the NFL level."
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson works on catching in 2022.
They both agree that it is difficult to name Pickens as the best because so many receivers struggle with a sophomore slump. Moats points out that Johnson should get a little more credit than the others because he has shown productivity while playing with multiple quarterbacks and offensive coordinators.
How do you feel about their top five lists? Why do you agree or disagree with anyone they named? Who are your top five best Steelers right now? Click to tell us how you feel!
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