Pittsburgh Steelers

Sammie Coates eager to show what he can do for Steelers

Published Jun. 25, 2015 8:34 a.m. ET

foxsports

Sammie Coates has all the physical attributes of a prototypical NFL receiver, but an uneven career at Auburn weighed down his draft stock.

The third-round pick now has a deep corps of receivers to overcome if he wants any chance of playing time in his rookie season. Coates is soaking up as much knowledge as he can in order to prove that he can be more than just a deep threat with questionable hands.

"I’m just trying to do everything I can to showcase I'm an all around guy who can play anywhere," Coates told ESPN.com at the NFL rookie symposium in Cleveland.

Barring injury, the 6-foot-1, 212-pound Coates will be the No. 4 receiver on the depth chart at best, but even that is no guarantee. With Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton entrenched in the top three spots and veterans like Darrius Heyward-Bey lingering, Coates knows he has to seize every opportunity presented to him.

"You’ve got to showcase you can do everything they can do," he added. "You have to go there and be relaxed," Coates said. "You can’t think about all the plays. You have to make the plays that present themselves to you."

One thing is for sure. If Coates can have even half the impact that Bryant did as a rookie last season, they might have to rename the Steelers offense "The Catchup Crew" because their opponents will be playing from behind quite frequently. Pretty fitting for the team that plays at Heinz Field.

h/t: ESPN.com