Steelers Likely To Draft At Least 4 Players From College All-Star Game Rosters

If you’re like me, you are currently working on your final Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft on this lazy Sunday afternoon. If that’s the case, as usual, you might want to be close attention to the list of players who were brought in for pre-draft visits over the course of the last month for obvious reasons.

While pouring over that list it’s also worth paying close attention to the players who attended the two major all-star games this year as well as Pittsburgh, like most NFL teams, has a history of drafting from that lot.

According to my quick and dirty research, the Steelers have drafted a total of 33 players who either played in Senior Bowl or the East-West Shrine Game dating back to 2009. In other words, they have averaged almost 5 draft picks a year when it comes to this list. While 5 players might be pushing it this year being as they are currently scheduled to make just seven selections, it will be surprising if they don’t draft at least 4 players who attended these two major all-star games this year.

Of the Steelers 2016 pre-draft visitors, I count 14 players who attended either the Senior Bowl or the East-West Shrine games this year. It should be noted, however, that South Carolina State defensive tackle Javon Hargrave played in both games this year. Additionally, while Duke safety Jeremy Cash attended the Senior Bowl practices this year, he was unable to play in the game due an existing injury. Additionally, Georgia Tech cornerback D.J. White was unable to play in this year’s East-West Shrine game.

One thing that sticks out the most when looking at the Steelers draft history dating back to 2009 is the fact that all but one of their third-round draft picks during that span played in the Senior Bowl and that player was running back Dri Archer. It’s also worth noting that only one of their first-round draft picks during that span of time, Ziggy Hood, played in a college all-star game. Now, that’s not overly surprising being as many of their former first-round selections were underclassmen.

With the above and below noted, make sure you consider all of this information while putting the final touches on your Steelers mock draft.

Note: Please let me know in the comments if I have overlooked any players that should have been included on these two lists.

Steelers Draft Picks 2009-2015 Who Attended College All-Star Games

Steelers 2016 Pre-Draft Visitors Who Attended College All-Star Games