Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown just finished another terrific regular season, with a tied for league-high 136 receptions for 1,834 yards (second in the league) and 10 touchdowns. The merits of analytics and advanced stats in football can be debated, particularly by the old school crowd, but Pro Football Focus has given Brown the highest cumulative overall receiving grade (+36.5) they’ve ever given for a single season.
So right or wrong, both traditional and advanced data backs up Brown’s status as one of, if not the best, wide receivers in the NFL right now.
Brown has become a star over the last three seasons, with his 2013 numbers (110 receptions, 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns) as low-water marks over that span with increasing catches and yardage each season. Looking toward his age-28 season (July 10), Brown is still firmly in his prime and should have plenty of good years left in his career.
The Steelers are a popular team to make a deep playoff run this year, despite sneaking into the playoffs as a Wild Card and the No. 6 seed in the AFC. If they are to meet that level of hype, Brown will be a driving force in a starring role.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
