One of the reasons the Steelers kept former wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey around -- in addition to being a valuable member of the team's special teams unit -- was because of the unique story he could tell some of the team's younger players.
A former top-10 pick in the draft, Heyward-Bey never quite realized that potential, though he did nearly have a 1,000-yard season for the Raiders one year.
But he reinvented himself as a player later in his career, becoming a special teams star and someone the team's young receivers could gravitate toward. He was essentially a coach on the field.
The Steelers think they have the same thing in new receivers coach Ike Hilliard. Only they won't be counting on Hilliard to make any plays on the field.
Hilliard has pretty much been involved with the NFL as a player or coach every year since 1997, save a couple of seasons he spent coaching in the United Football League.
The former seventh-overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Giants, Hilliard played 12 years in the NFL. And while he was never a star, he did finish his career with 546 receptions for 6,397 yards and 35 touchdowns.
That's more catches, yardage and touchdowns than the entire Steelers receiving corps he inherited when interim wide receivers coach Ray Sherman -- who took over in training camp when Darryl Drake died -- retired at the end of the 2019 season.
"I lean a lot on my in-helmet experience," said Hilliard Monday as the Steelers continued their ramp up in training camp at Heinz Field.
"There’s a certain feeling in the timing and spacing of receiver play. Sometimes, it’s really not talked about a lot. It’s important for young receivers to know that outside of the progression of the quarterback, their spacing, timing and rhythm of the play is just as important as their individual talent level in regards to how they get open depending on coverage. Helping them to understand that on a snap-by-snap basis, and how they fit into every concept, how their role evolves during the course of a game. That's what I can help them do."
Hilliard played eight seasons with the Giants and another four with the Buccaneers -- where the defensive backs coach was Mike Tomlin. He brings that experience Heyward-Bey could add to the Steelers' receiving room. And as a former top pick who never quite became that No. 1 receiver, he can effectively talk to each player about their given role on a team.
But it's definitely a young Steelers receiving room. JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is entering his fourth season, is still just 23 years old and won't turn 24 until late November. Ryan Switzer also is entering his fourth season, while James Washington is going into Year 3 in the NFL, as is Deon Cain. Diontae Johnson is coming off a solid rookie season that saw him lead all first-year players in receptions, while rookie Chase Claypool was a second-round draft pick this year.
There's talent. But not a lot of experience.
But Hilliard is accustomed to working with young wide receiver groups. In Buffalo in 2013, he had six-year veteran Stevie Johnson to work with alongside rookies Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin. Last season with Washington, Hilliard had an extremely young group in which rookie Terry McLaurin emerged as the No. 1 receiver.
"He has a unique mind for the game," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said of Hilliard. "I think his personality is going to mesh with young guys. I think one of the things that is unique, we like to think we have young guys, but if you look at the Washington roster last year, the youth that they played with and some of the things that those young guys did, impressive. And he was very impressive in the interview. I am ecstatic."
McLaurin, a third-round draft pick, had 58 catches for 919 yards and seven touchdowns. Fellow rookie Kelvin Harmon had 30 catches for 365 yards.
Neither were considered as talented as Smith-Schuster -- who has a 100-catch, 1,000-yard season under his belt -- Washington or Claypool, who were all second-round draft picks, or even Johnson, who was an early third-round selection.
Hilliard hopes to bring that same kind of success with him to the Steelers.
"We have a Hall of Fame quarterback coming back," Hilliard said, referencing the return of Ben Roethlisberger from a season-ending elbow injury. "He’s going to lead this team and get the ball where it’s supposed to go. We’ve got to make plays on balls in the air and we won’t have to worry about any of that stuff going forward."
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