Jesse James had most of the 2016 season to show the Pittsburgh Steelers what he brought to the table. He showed that while he is a reliable and savvy threat, he is also a limited player. The Steelers rolled the dice this off-season and went into training camp hoping James would take a step forward. After three preseason games, they seem to know what they have and were looking to upgrade at the areas in which James lacks.

Vance McDonald is Upgrade Steelers Needed

Yards after the catch

Vance McDonald finished 107th in the NFL in yards after the catch last season. That does not sound great until you see that Jesse James finished 276th. All of the sudden that sounds like a major upgrade.

On 15 fewer targets, McDonald put up 53 more yards than Jesse James in 2016. James had one reception going for 30 yards and three go for 20 plus. McDonald had four go for over 30 yards and six go for 20 or more. James caught three touchdowns to the four of McDonald.

All three of James’ touchdowns were caught in the end zone, while McDonald created, and made two touchdowns on his own.

McDonald roasts the best linebacker in the NFL and shows the burners to beat Kurt Coleman to the house.

McDonald gets himself open near the line of scrimmage and turns a short pass into a 65-yard touchdown.

Aside from being a big play threat, McDonald also shows how to get the little ones, that add up at the end of the year. 66-percent of James’ receptions went for eight yards or less last season. Only 54-percent of McDonald’s went for eight yards or less.

Notice the difference in balance between James and McDonald as the two fight for extra yards.

Making the tough catches

Another issue that James had in 2016 was holding onto the contested passes. James missed five passes, eight-percent of his targets that should have been receptions had he made the contested catch. McDonald only missed two due to that lack of physicality, four-percent of his targets.

McDonald takes the big hit and holds onto the ball. James gets hit around the similar time of catch point and it jars the ball loose.

Catching away from his body

McDonald has the range that Jesse James does not possess. He has shown more coordination and balance in avoiding tackles and he does so in the air as well.

McDonald contorts his body and makes a play on the ball by extending his arms. James is open over the middle and while the pass is a little bit high, he fails to make a play on the ball.

Vance McDonald gets wide open over the middle, has to wait on the ball and still brings in a contested catch for a 19-yard touchdown. James does not have this type of contested catch ability or catch radius to make this play.

Vance McDonald is not super man. In fact, on three occasions he flat out dropped the ball, like the play below.

James also has a better completion percentage. The first way to debunk that argument would be comparing quarterbacks. Yes, McDonald likely lost more yards than James on the field due to his quarterback not being Ben Roethlisberger. However, on passes that were catchable, Jesse James hauled in 79.5% of his targets while McDonald caught 75% of the passes that he could have made a play on.

McDonald also has a should injury that could be worth worrying about while James has been consistently healthy.

Schematic Advantage

Stil, what McDonald brings that James does not possess is that schematic advantage. McDonald averaged more yards per target and ran 42-percent of his routes down the field ten yards or more. Only 21-percent of Jesse James’ routes went that far down the field. The team now has to pay respect to the deep middle of the field, which opens the short middle for Eli Rogers. With Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown roaming the outsides, McDonald’s brings more schematically than James.

It was a smart move by the Steelers and a chance to open up the offense even further.

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