One more series to get us through the summer before training camp begins in almost exactly a month. Inspired by an NFL Films top ten (why did they stop making them?), we’re counting down the ten greatest draft classes in Pittsburgh Steelers’ history.
The focus will be solely on actual drafted players and only what they did in Pittsburgh, not whatever success they may have had with another team. Nearing the end, we’ll check out classes #4 and #3.
#4 – 1969 Draft Class (16 Pro Bowls, 6 All-Pros, 1 Hall of Famer)
Notable Selections
DT Joe Greene (1st Round)
OT Jon Kolb (3rd Round)
DL L.C. Greenwood (10th Round)
Greene was the literal Keystone in building the Steelers’ dynasty, Chuck Noll’s first draft pick he literally built around. The anchor of the Steel Curtain, Greene didn’t accept losing and changed the culture while impacting the game at the highest of levels. He made ten Pro Bowls in his first ten years and only had his career cut short due to a bothersome nerve injury in his shoulder. But he is the greatest Steeler to ever play and changed the fortunes of an entire franchise.
Still, he wasn’t the only notable pick on this list. Pittsburgh found another charter member of the Steel Curtain in the later rounds, picking up Greenwood from Arkansas AM&N (now known as Arkansas Pine-Bluff) as one of Bill Nunn’s HBCU gems. He finished his career with more sacks than Greene and played his entire career in Pittsburgh.
Kolb is the forgotten name of the class. One of the strongest linemen in the NFL, Kolb is one of the best offensive tackles in franchise history. Despite never making a Pro Bowl, he won four Super Bowls and started 138 games for Pittsburgh, including every single game from 1971 to 1976.
There’s only three names highlighted here but Greene and Greenwood were two central pieces of the Steelers’ 70s defense that propelled a dynasty. Throw in Kolb and all the Super Bowl rings and this class is up there.
#3 – 1971 Draft Class (13 Pro Bowls, 6 All-Pros, 1 Hall of Famer)
Notable Selections
WR Frank Lewis (1st Round)
LB Jack Ham (2nd Round)
OG Moon Mullins (4th Round)
DE Dwight White (4th Round)
TE/OT Larry Brown (5th Round)
DT Ernie Holmes (8th Round)
S Mike Wagner ((11th Round)
The class didn’t start off with a bang in WR Frank Lewis, though he was a talented and speedy receiver stuck in a run-heavy attack. Lewis was a better player than people remember him, an underrated name who flourished after leaving Pittsburgh.
But Ham is the most memorable name, selected in the second round out of Penn State. An excellent, all-around linebacker, he made eight Pro Bowls, six All-Pro teams, and teamed up with Jack Lambert and Andy Russell to make a great trio. Ham is just one of 11 players and three linebackers in history with 20+ career INTs and 30+ sacks.
Mullins was a starting guard throughout the team’s 70s dynasty, often pulling and leading the way for Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. White was overshadowed by Greene and Greenwood but made an immediate impact and had 42.5 sacks over his first five years in the league. Holmes was the final piece of the Steel Curtain found tucked away in the 8th round.
Brown began his career as a tight end and caught the first receiving touchdown in Steelers’ Super Bowl history. He later bulked up and transitioned to right tavklr, making 85 starts there through 1984 and a Pro Bowl in 1982. Wagner’s contributions have largely been forgotten about in that great Steelers’ secondary, but he made a pair of Pro Bowls and picked off a league-high eight passes in 1973, spending his whole career in the black and gold and winning four Super Bowls.
This class had a Hall of Famer, high impact players, and solid starters with hits at the top and later on in the draft. It’s hard to beat that. Except for the two classes that do.
Top Ten Steelers’ Draft Classes
#10 – 2017 Class (Watt, Smith-Schuster, Sutton, Conner)
#9 – 1950 Class (Stautner, Chandnois, Hughes, Rogel)
#8 – 2003 Class (Polamalu, Taylor)
#7 – 2010 Class (Pouncey, Sanders, Brown)
#6 – 1987 Class (Woodson, Everett, Nickerson, Lloyd, Hoge)
#5 – 1998 Class (Faneca, Ward, Townsend, Fuamatu-Ma’afala)
