PITTSBURGH — Standing at the far end of the practice fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, with fellow Big Ten product Will Howard to his right, Roman Wilson sprinted off the imaginary line of scrimmage, ran about 10 yards and cut to the middle.

After tracking Howard’s throw, Wilson made a slight adjustment at the end to ensure the pass was complete.

It didn’t move the chains. Nobody cheered. There wasn’t even a defender on Wilson. But it showed the 2024 third-round pick in much better control of his surroundings compared to what transpired during a difficult rookie year — one the wide receiver would rather forget.

“I don’t want to think too much about last year, but I definitely learned a lot,” Wilson said. “It helped to shape who I am this upcoming season.”

While two days of OTAs is hardly enough to declare Wilson a finished product, he’s certainly approaching this season with a different mindset, one that sounded like he questioned his own NFL readiness last season.

Before we get there, though … good.

The Steelers have a job opening at wide receiver — with blinking lights (again) and a gigantic help wanted sign out front (again). DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III alone won’t cut it. They need to sign someone, have another guy surprise or probably both.

Wilson obviously hopes to do the latter.

“My goals for the season are to get better every single day, treat every day like it’s game day and come prepared with questions to ask after practice,” Wilson said. “Be mentally and physically locked in and give it my all every single day so I can get better and be ready for whenever my time is.”

On the outside, there’s certainly been a sense of urgency.

Or perhaps frustration at the lack of production out of an enticing player.

When Wilson was drafted, there were references to Hines Ward’s blocking ability, something Wilson genuinely loved to do for a run-heavy offense at Michigan.

It was easy to see some version of that happening here. The best-case scenario also floated Brandon Aiyuk, or some similar trade target, along with George Pickens and Austin, with Wilson allowed to grow his role as the year progressed.

None of that became reality.

Wilson struggled during OTAs and minicamp. He hurt his ankle during the first padded practice. After returning and playing five snaps against the Raiders on Oct. 13, Wilson went on the reserve/injured list with a hamstring issue on Oct. 28, his season effectively finished.

While Wilson did get healthy late in the year, it was too late to do anything meaningful. But once the offseason arrived, the real efforts for 2025 began.

“I’ve taken care of my body to an elite level,” Wilson said. “I’ve been more locked in. I feel like myself. I’m ready to come out here and practice hard.”

Weight-wise, not much has changed for Wilson. He says he’s about the same, though he does feel different. His confidence and comfortability within the offense have also grown.

Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has been working with Wilson on myriad things, including route indicators, his body and pad levels, Wilson’s burst in and out of breaks and refining his blocking technique.

The biggest improvement may be Wilson’s approach, whether that’s focus, intensity, conditioning or perhaps all of the above. It seems he took a look around and absorbed a few things from Steelers veterans.

“I don’t want to get into too much detail,” Wilson said. “But just being at a professional level … you see guys like T.J. [Watt], just trying to do what they do and stay on top of it.”

It’s the exact urgency the Steelers have needed to see out of Wilson, who plays bigger than his 5-foot-10, 186-pound frame.

Metcalf will obviously get a lot of targets. Austin took several important steps forward in the offense and will be no less than a reliable slot option. Robert Woods, with a pair of 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, could also earn a decent chunk of playing time.

But the Steelers didn’t use a third-round pick on Wilson to sit him. NFL teams routinely draft starters in that spot, and that’s what Wilson is working to become.

A very good one, at that.

“Everything I said [about 2025 goals], you have to have some urgency with that,” Wilson said. “You have to get going. I’m ready for it.”

No Steelers player commanded more questions without any real on-field production than Wilson. He became almost a mythical figure. When will Roman Wilson contribute? I’d have to imagine he asked himself the same question a few times, too.

Injuries conspired against Wilson in 2024, delaying the elite wideout we saw at Michigan (where he caught 107 passes for 1,707 yards and 20 touchdowns in 46 games).

A year later, Wilson looks like a different guy, the one we thought and hoped we’d see.

The old one would’ve dropped that ball from Howard, either because he didn’t know how to adjust or simply wasn’t locked in as much as he should have been.

It’s great to see Wilson heeding the lessons. But now he needs to keep it going into and through the real stuff.

“Everyone wants to compete, but the only thing I’m focused on is getting better every single day and being ready when my name is called,” Wilson said. “That’s all I can worry about.”

____