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SMU WR Danny Gray Garnering Interest From Steelers

See how the SMU speedster fits in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense.

Derrick Bell

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The Pittsburgh Steelers lost both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ray-Ray McCloud to other teams early on in the free agency process, leaving behind holes in the wide receiver room. Even with returning starters in Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool still in the fold, the Steelers need a legitimate WR3 option and additional depth behind them. 

The current NFL landscape requires teams to be at least four deep at the position meaning there is plenty of work to be done in terms of adding additional talent to the mix. The Steelers have been linked to bigger receivers such as Georgia's George Pickens and Clemson's Justyn Ross throughout the process, but there is a name that seems to be flying under the radar. 

SMU speedster, Danny Gray. 

Gray is a completely different style and body type from the two listed above, but certainly has the skills to make an impact at the next level. After an admirable showing at the Senior Bowl, there is buzz around Gray as a potential diamond in the rough. 

During the NFL Combine media session, Gray confirmed that he had met with a couple of the coaches from the Steelers organization. 

What type of impact could he have in Pittsburgh if the opportunity presented itself? 

"Come in and immediately be an impact player," Gray said. "A player that's coming in to score touchdowns, showcase their speed and what they can do in open space."

Gray surely left quite the impression on NFL personnel at the combine after running a blazing fast 4.33 official 40-yard dash, which was fourth best among all wide receivers at the event. It wasn't necessarily a surprising results as that speed shows up all over his tape and he's someone that is extremely dangerous whenever he touches the football and can get out in the open field. 

There may be no better example of that big play ability than this play below where he turned a slant route underneath into a 68-yard touchdown. 

Over the course of his senior season, Gray averaged a whopping 16.4 yards per reception and notched nine touchdowns in the ten games that he participated in. He's a player that works well on the vertical plane where he can win up the field using his speed. 

When speed receivers get closer to the end zone, they're typically less effective because there's less space and overall room to work with. However, I was encouraged by a couple reps like the one below that showcase his understanding of how to use his body to shield off defenders. 

He stacks the defender, uses his inside arm to shield off the cornerback while tracking the football before flashing late hands to make the concentration catch over his shoulder for the score. 

The 4.33 speed will be his calling card at the next level, but despite being just 6-foot and 186-pounds, Gray has demonstrated the ability to complete combat catches and battle in the air for the football. 

In this play below against Tulane, Gray torches the cornerback by creating a ton of separation to where this should be an easy touchdown throw all day long. The lone problem is that his quarterback just can't quite get it out there to him in stride. 

You love to see him throw on the breaks and come back for the football while making the leaping grab by securing the ball at its highest point, through contact. This isn't where he'll likely be able to make a living in the NFL but there are examples of him playing bigger than his frame would indicate.

Gray didn't have a very diverse route tree in college, often used on crossers, screens and deep routes like fly's and posts. Due to the lack of exposure, he's still very much a work in progress as a route runner. 

There are some encouraging reps on film that display how he could potentially develop into a much more complete player in a few years. Against TCU, he's running a corner route near the end zone and you see a little bit of nuance on this rep as he sells the post route with his eyes before dropping his weight and breaking outside. This creates an enormous amount of separation and a nice throwing window for his quarterback near the sideline for a chunk play. 

Gray was a highly regarded JUCO transfer before announcing his commitment to SMU and has maintained a high level of play against better competition the last couple years. He was well on his way to a 1,000-yard season before an ankle injury would cause him to miss the final three games of his senior campaign. 

By looking at draft boards around the web, it seems likely to expect Gray to hear his name called on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, but it remains to be seen which round.

New Steelers wide receiver coach Frisman Jackson ventured down to Dallas this week to see Danny Gray perform at his Pro Day. The organization got the chance to take a look at him at the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine and now at his Pro Day. This obviously doesn't mean that they are a lock to draft him but they're certainly doing their due diligence on the speedy wide receiver.

So, how would Gray fit into the Steelers plans at the receiver position? He would be an intriguing developmental Z receiver in their system and ideally a WR4 early on his career. They could minimize his route tree as a rookie while he continues to develop, while still finding ways to get him touches on underneath routes and take some shots down the field to him sporadically. 

Matt Canada loves getting his receivers involved in the run game through jet sweeps and Gray certainly has the skill set to excel on carries where he can operate on the edge and in space. 

The Pittsburgh offense lacks speed and big play ability and it's evident when looking at the numbers as they were 30th last season in explosive pass play rate.

It's also worth noting that while Gray doesn't have a plethora of experience as a returner, he has handled both punts and kicks in college before. He returned nine kicks and two punts while at SMU and three more kicks and one punt while as a sophomore at Blinn College. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have seven selections in the 2022 NFL Draft. They do not own a 5th round selection but have multiple 7th round picks. It seems likely that they will take a Day 2 receiver at this point given the way that their roster is currently constructed. 

Day 2 will likely be too rich for a player like Gray but it's not out of the question that they could double dip at the position, much like they did back in the 2010 NFL Draft when they selected Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown in the third and sixth rounds. 

The Pittsburgh offense needs to be much more explosive next season in order to keep up in the arms race of the AFC. Adding a player like Danny Gray could pay dividends immediately and could offer immense returns down the line over the course of his rookie contract. 

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Derrick Bell
DERRICK BELL

Derrick Bell is a University of Louisville grad who's covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. Prior to AllSteelers, Derrick contributed to Steel City Blitz. 

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