Markus Wheaton

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Markus Wheaton
refer to caption
Wheaton with the Pittsburgh Steelers
No. 11 Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: (1991-02-07) February 7, 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth: Phoenix, Arizona
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Career information
High school: Chandler (AZ)
College: Oregon State
NFL draft: 2013 / Round: 3 / Pick: 79
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-Pac-12 (2012)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2015
Receptions: 100
Receiving yards: 1,400
Receiving touchdowns: 6
Player stats at NFL.com

Markus Levonte Wheaton (born February 7, 1991) is an American football wide receiver and kick returner for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Wheaton played college football for Oregon State University. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Early years

Wheaton was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Mountain Pointe High School, and played for the Mountain Pointe Pride high school football team from 2005-2007. He had 23 receptions for 476 yards and six touchdowns as a junior, and added 49 tackles on defense. Chandler High School, and played for the Chandler Wolves high school football team. He recorded 736 yards receiving on 37 receptions with four touchdowns as a senior. He was a three-time first-team all-region and honorable mention all-state selection. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated the No. 41 athlete in the nation. He committed to Oregon State.[1]

Track and field

Wheaton was also a standout sprinter for the Chandler High School track team. He won both the 200-meter dash (21.42s) and 400-meter dash (47.38s) at the 2009 Chandler Invitationals. He also ran a season-best time of 10.81 seconds in the 100 meters at the 2009 5AI State Championships.[2]

He was also on the Oregon State University track team. He ran a career-best time of 46.80 seconds in the 400 meters at the prelims of the 5A Fiesta Regional Championships. He finished 2nd in the 100 meters at the 2012 Oregon Twilight Meet, with a time of 10.58 seconds. He was also timed at 10.35 seconds in the 100 meters.

College career

While attending Oregon State University, Wheaton played for the Oregon State Beavers football team from 2009 to 2012. As a senior in 2012, he was a first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection.[3] During his college career, he recorded 227 receptions for 2,994 yards and 16 touchdowns.

College stats

Year GP Receiving Rushing
Rec Yds Avg Long 100+ TD Att Yds Avg TD
2009 12 8 89 11.1 25 0 0 11 79 7.2 1
2010 12 55 675 12.3 48 2 4 27 220 8.1 2
2011 12 73 986 13.5 69 4 1 25 190 7.6 0
2012 13 91 1,244 13.7 51 5 11 20 142 7.1 2
Total 227 2,994 13.2 69 11 16 83 631 7.6 5

Professional career

2013 NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
5 ft 11 in 189 lb 32 3/4 in 9 1/8 in 4.45 s 1.59 s 2.50 s 4.02 s 6.80 s 37 in 10 ft 0 in 20 reps
All values from the NFL Combine and Central Florida Pro Day.[4][5]

2013 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked Wheaton in the 3rd round, with the 79th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL Draft. He signed a 4 year contract for $2.81 million dollars with $591k guaranteed.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2013

Wheaton made his NFL debut on September 8, 2013 against the Tennessee Titans. On September 29, 2013, Wheaton made his first career start and made 3 catches for 26-yards in a 27-34 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. During a Week 11 matchup with the Detroit Lions, he made a season-high 3 receptions for 38-yards. He finished his rookie season with 6 catches for 64-yards in 12 games and 1 start.

2014

During the 2014 offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the Denver Broncos via free agency. With the loss of Sanders, Wheaton was given a larger role.

On September 7, 2014, he started the season opener against the Cleveland Browns and ended the game with a season-high 6 receptions and 97-yards. In Week 8, Wheaton made 5 catches for 56-yards and caught his first career touchdown in a 51-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The next game, he caught 2 passes for 62 receiving yards and scored a 47-yard touchdown in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. He played in his first career postseason game on January 3, 2015, and made 5 receptions for 66-yards in a 17-30 loss to the Ravens. He finished his second season with 53 receptions, 644 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns in 11 starts and 16 games.[6]

2015

Wheaton began appearing more in the slot position as Martavis Bryant emerged last season. With Bryant becoming more solidified, Wheaton was poised to become a full-time receiver during 2015.[7] Wheaton began the season starting against the New England Patriots and caught 3 passes for 55-yards in a 21-28 loss. On October 12, 2015, he caught a 72-yard touchdown pass in a 24-20 victory at the San Diego Chargers. During a Week 12 loss at Seattle, Wheaton made a career-high 9 catches for 201-yards and scores on a 69-yard touchdown. On December 20, 2015, he continued to make progress as he made 6 receptions for 62-yards and a touchdown in a 34-27 victory over the Denver Broncos. Wheaton finished the 2015 regular season with 44 receptions for 749 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Career statistics

Regular season

Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost
2013 Pittsburgh Steelers 12 1 6 64 10.7 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 11 53 644 12.2 47 2 4 19 4.8 0 0 0 0
Total 28 12 59 708 11.5 47 2 4 19 4.8 0 0 0 0

Post season

Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost
2014 Pittsburgh Steelers 1 0 5 66 13.2 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 0 5 66 13.2 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

Wheaton's cousin Kenny Wheaton played for the Dallas Cowboys.

References

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  3. Crichton, Poyer, Jenkins and Wheaton Earn Pac-12 First Team
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External links