Steelers begin life after Brown, draft WR Diontae Johnson

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are reloading at wide receiver following star Antonio Brown’s high-profile departure to Oakland.

The Steelers selected Toledo’s Diontae Johnson with their first of two picks in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday. The 5-foot-10 Johnson caught 43 passes for 663 yards and seven touchdowns for the Rockets and also returned a punt and a kickoff for a score during his junior season last fall.

Pittsburgh acquired Brown with the 66th overall pick, a selection the team acquired as part of the deal that sent Brown to Oakland in March.

This is the third straight seasons the Steelers have taken a wide receiver in the top three rounds of the draft. They selected JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second round in 2017 and James Washington in the second round last year.

Johnson joins a group that also includes Smith-Schuster, Washington and former Jacksonville Jaguar Donte Moncrief, who signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh in free agency. Johnson could also find work on special teams for the Steelers. He was the Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year last season.