With the NFL draft now behind us and the start of training camp still a full two months away, you can expect to see the major media sports outlets fill the rest of their offseason time with various lists and rankings to promote conversations. On Monday, NFL Media analysts Gil Brandt released his top 20 all-time undrafted free agents and it includes one former and one present member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After initially releasing his top 10 all-time undrafted free agents, Brandt released another set of 10 roughly 3 hours later and that group of players included former Steelers safety Donnie Shell and current outside linebacker James Harrison. Perhaps the release of that second 10 players was a result of the feedback he received on Twitter.
While Brandt’s top 10 certainly includes some deserving players, I personally believe that Shell belongs in that group and especially being as former Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders cornerback Willie Brown is included in it. Just look at the career stats of those two players. Shell was also a member of four Super Bowl championship teams while Brown only has one ring. While Brown finished his career with three more interceptions than Shell registered, it’s worth pointing out that he played two more seasons.
As for Harrison, he most definitely deserves to be in the top 20 even though he’ll be hard-pressed to ever be enshrined in Canton after his playing days are finally over. During the upcoming 2016 season, Harrison has a legitimate shot at becoming the Steelers all-time franchise leader in sacks. With that said, he doesn’t deserve to be ranked ahead of Shell, who without a doubt deserves to have his bust in Canton alongside Brown’s.
