DK Metcalf Relishing Chance To Pick The Brains Of Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey

Great players are always trying to learn and grow, taking advantage of every piece of intel and advice they can get to improve.

New Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf is a great example of that. After years battling against Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey in games, leading to some heated moments, he now gets to go against them in training camp.

Though they remain competitive at their core, Metcalf is using the opportunities to learn from some of the best defensive backs of their generation. Sitting down with former Steelers cornerback and current CBS Sports analyst Bryant McFadden Wednesday from Latrobe, Metcalf talked about how he is leaning on those guys to make him better.

“It’s been fun not lining up on the other side of them on Sunday, a great plus now that I get to really pick their brain as a teammate and as a student of the game, more so than a competitor,” Metcalf said of his matchups with Slay and Ramsey, according to video via YouTube. “So now even after practice or after a rep, I can go up and talk to them like, ‘Hey, what did you see on my rep?’ Or, ‘How can I be better in certain aspects?’

“And like me and Jalen have been the best competitors on the field, along with Slay and JPJ.”

Metcalf has had some run-ins with both Ramsey and Slay. Being in the NFC West for years with Ramsey led to some big-time blowups between the two.

Both were at the top of their craft at the time, and there’s certainly some ego involved in those run-ins. That was put into the past last season when Ramsey and Metcalf exchanged jerseys after the Seahawks and Dolphins played.

The same is true for Metcalf and Slay. The two got into it during a 2020 game, leading to a Slay unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. But that was years ago. Now, they’re on the same team and fighting for the same goal, which is leading the Steelers to a Super Bowl.

Being teammates, they’re able to lean on each other and make each other better. Slay and Ramsey can give Metcalf pointers on his routes and his pace. Metcalf can help the veteran cornerbacks when it comes to positioning, leverage and more against bigger receivers like himself.

It’s a true win-win for the Steelers.

Hopefully it helps lead to lots of wins on the field, too.

Check out Metcalf’s interview with McFadden below.