Steelers' Martavis Bryant Scores 5 Touchdowns Through 3 Games

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant is off to a fast start in the NFL as just the second player in league history with five receiving touchdowns through the first three games of his career, per the NFL Media research department (via Around The NFL on Twitter).

A fourth-round draft pick out of Clemson, Bryant caught touchdowns from 19 and 18 yards out during Sunday's 43-23 Week 9 romp over the Baltimore Ravens, marking his second consecutive game with two scoring receptions.

After being a healthy scratch for the first six games of the season, Bryant debuted in a Week 7 win over the Houston Texans, catching two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown in a 30-23 Steelers win.

He then caught five balls for 83 yards and two touchdowns in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns and a franchise-record 522 passing yards.

With Roethlisberger adding another six scoring strikes during Sunday's crucial divisional win, Bryant was able to record his fourth and fifth touchdowns, despite having a modest total of 10 catches through three games.

Though 6'4" with sub-4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, Bryant wasn't viewed as one of the top wideout prospects in May's draft, coming off a college career that saw him play second fiddle to the likes of Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins, both first-round selections.

The Steelers seemingly saw Bryant as a long-term project, as the team continued to deem him inactive on gamedays, even as Justin Brown and Lance Moore struggled in the No. 3 wide receiver role.

However, with Markus Wheaton also underwhelming in the No. 2 wideout spot, Bryant has emerged as a major factor in the Pittsburgh offense and may eventually take said role for himself.

While the pace of 1.6 touchdowns per game is quite obviously unsustainable, Bryant's excellent size should continue to make him a popular target for the red-hot Roethlisberger when the Steelers start to approach the end zone.

The only other player to record five receiving touchdowns in his first three games was tight end Eric Green, who actually needed just two contests to reach the mark for the Steelers in 1990. He went on to have a solid but unspectacular career, notably making Pro Bowls as a Steeler in 1993 and 1994.