The crazy time of year that is free agency is fast approaching, so KCChiefs.com has you covered with a 30-day free agency look, highlighting the 30 most intriguing free agents or players who could be released/traded during the offseason.
You may have noticed, there are no restricted free agents on the list, largely because they rarely leave their current teams. None of the reports are indicative of the Chiefs plans for the 2013 free agency season.
DAY 2 of 30:
Name: Mike Wallace
Position: WR
Height: 6'0
Weight: 199
College: Mississippi
Born: August 1, 1986, New Orleans, Louisiana
Age: 26
Experience: 4 years
Drafted:2009, 3rd Rd 20th Pick (84th Overall)
Mike Wallace finished the 2012 season with 64 receptions, totaling 836 yards (13.1 avg) and eight TDs for the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, as reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette below, those appear to be his last stats, before leaving the Steel City, citing both sides likely to "part ways."
"It's been the consensus all along, but this is an indication the Steelers are not expected to have a change-of-heart with regards to their No. 1 receiver. Wallace is believed to have turned down a five-year extension worth roughly $50 million before signing his $2.7 million restricted free agent tender last summer. According to beat writer Ed Bouchette, Wallace's holdout "turned off" members of the Steelers' coaching staff and front office."
STRENGTHS:
Wallace can definitely stretch the field vertically and can fill the role as a team's number one WR, if he maximizes his full potential. He shows good instincts and has displayed the ability to make remarkable catches.
According to former GM and current ESPN Insider Bill Polian, "This league is always looking for WRs with speed, who can take the top off a defense -- and he (Wallace) can do that."
WEAKNESSES:
He battled a case of the drops in 2012, but not enough to shake the confidence of the guy getting him the ball, QB Ben Roethlisberger.
FINAL TAKE:
"Wallace is a good route runner, has good instincts and typically has good hands, but he's small and you worry about injury," Polian said. "Inconsistency in the past also is a concern. Pittsburgh didn't reach a deal with him, which will make some teams wary," Bill Polian said.
I looked back at some of Wallace's stats from the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash and his arm span of 31 3/8 inches and a hand span of 9 inches, were of note. His combination of height, and his arm and hand span, with his cheetah-like speed, may be enough to outweigh any concerns teams might have with the former wideout from Mississippi.
