No receiver drew higher rate of pass interference penalties than Steelers’ Deon Cain

In his short stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Deon Cain has shown propensity for making some big plays. And in 2019, he also showed himself particularly adept at at least one specific skill.

No receiver in the NFL this season drew a higher rate of pass interference penalties from opponents than Cain, according to data compiled by footballoutsiders.com.

Cain drew four penalties for a total of 136 yards. Only 11 receivers had more DPIs than that.

Cain finished the season, officially, with 20 targets and nine receptions. And four times he drew a DPI call. That means that four of the 15 times the ball was thrown his way and he did not catch it, Cain did the next-best thing: he drew a penalty that got his team the ball at the spot of the potential catch.

Of the 15 receivers who drew as many or more pass interference penalties, none had fewer than 79 targets — four times as many as Cain had.

The two DPI penalties Cain drew over six games with the Steelers were important ones, too. One gained 26 yards (Nov. 23 at Cincinnati); the other was in the end zone and set up a touchdown (Dec. 1 against Cleveland).

Deon Cain leaves @ClemsonFB as one of the most productive WRs in school history! Check out his #NFLDraft tape ⬇️ #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/0l8Y89rpk9

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) April 17, 2018

Add those “splash” plays to catches of 35 and 22 yards he had in his short stint in Pittsburgh after being signed off the Indianapolis Colts practice squad Nov. 16, and it’s easy to see why the Steelers are intrigued by Cain’s potential.

The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Cain was one of the biggest playmakers for Clemson, winning a national championship with the Tigers in 2016. Blessed with 4.4 speed, he had five catches for 94 yards in that title game against Alabama.

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