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Pittsburgh Steelers Yards per Reception Leaders

Career totals with the Steelers and the best single seasons in club history. Includes the 2026 season through October 29: these records are rebuilt every night, so a mark set yesterday is here this morning. Pittsburgh Pirates 1933-1939. 1943: merged with Philadelphia (Phil-Pitt); 1944: merged with the Chicago Cardinals (Card-Pitt). Merged-season player lines count for both franchises, as Pro-Football-Reference's franchise histories do. No schedule length in the source for 1943, 1944, so no season line that year qualifies for a rate board.

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Buddy Dial holds the Steelers career record with 21.57 yards per reception. The single-season record is 27.58, by Jimmy Orr in 1958.

YDS REC TD Y/R Y/G TGT CTH% 1D YScm

Rate records use the league's own minimums: a season needs 1.875 receptions per team game with the club, a career 200+ receptions with the club.

All-time Steelers leaders

Career totals with the club
# Player With the club Y/R G
1 Buddy Dial Buddy Dial 1959–1963 21.57 66
2 Mike Wallace Mike Wallace 2009–2012 17.20 63
3 Ray Mathews Ray Mathews 1951–1959 17.04 108
4 Louis Lipps 1984–1991 16.81 108
5 Yancey Thigpen 1992–1997 16.45 77
6 Santonio Holmes Santonio Holmes 2006–2009 16.32 60
7 Lynn Swann Lynn Swann 1974–1982 16.26 115
8 John Stallworth John Stallworth 1974–1987 16.24 165
9 Plaxico Burress Plaxico Burress 2000–2012 15.93 73
10 Elbie Nickel Elbie Nickel 1947–1957 15.60 131
11 Bennie Cunningham 1976–1985 14.25 118
12 Charles Johnson 1994–1998 13.77 76
13 Antonio Brown Antonio Brown 2010–2018 13.39 130
14 Hines Ward Hines Ward 1998–2011 12.07 216
15 JuJu Smith-Schuster JuJu Smith-Schuster 2017–2021 11.94 63
16 Diontae Johnson Diontae Johnson 2019–2023 11.16 77
17 Heath Miller Heath Miller 2005–2015 11.10 163
18 Pat Freiermuth Pat Freiermuth 2021–2026 10.13 81
19 Le'Veon Bell Le'Veon Bell 2013–2017 8.52 62
20 Merril Hoge 1987–1993 8.52 109
21 Franco Harris Franco Harris 1972–1983 7.46 165

Single-season Steelers records

Best seasons in club history
# Player Season Y/R G
1 Jimmy Orr Jimmy Orr 1958 27.58 12
2 Elbie Nickel Elbie Nickel 1949 24.35 12
3 Buddy Dial Buddy Dial 1960 24.30 12
4 Roy Jefferson Roy Jefferson 1966 24.13 14
5 Ron Shanklin Ron Shanklin 1973 23.70 13
6 Ron Shanklin Ron Shanklin 1970 23.03 14
7 Jim Smith 1982 22.76 8
8 Buddy Dial Buddy Dial 1963 21.58 14
9 Gary Ballman Gary Ballman 1965 21.48 14
10 Ray Mathews Ray Mathews 1958 21.00 12
11 Mike Wallace Mike Wallace 2010 20.95 16
12 Dwight Stone 1991 20.28 16
13 Sam Boyd 1939 20.14 11
14 Plaxico Burress Plaxico Burress 2004 19.94 11
15 Gary Ballman Gary Ballman 1964 19.89 13
16 Buddy Dial Buddy Dial 1961 19.75 14
17 Lynn Swann Lynn Swann 1979 19.71 13
18 Buddy Dial Buddy Dial 1962 19.62 14
19 John Stallworth John Stallworth 1978 19.46 16
20 Louis Lipps 1988 19.46 16
21 Mike Wallace Mike Wallace 2009 19.38 16
22 Louis Lipps 1985 19.22 16
23 Jim Smith 1980 19.22 12
24 Louis Lipps 1984 19.11 14
25 Louis Lipps 1989 18.88 16