With the news on Tuesday that 2020 fourth-round pick RB Anthony McFarland Jr. has signed with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a strikingly low number of their drafted players from the last decade-plus still on the roster. Some players fizzled out and never really had a career; some were lost in free agency; and others had bad injury luck and personal issues that derailed their careers. Since 2011, when Cameron Heyward was drafted in the first round, the Steelers have just 24 of their original draft picks remaining on the roster. Former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert was in charge during much of this span, with 2023 being the first draft he didn’t make the selections.
| Draft Class | Players Still On Roster |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 7 |
There is a long stretch of drafts with zero players still on the roster. From 2012-16, there are zero players remaining on the Steelers’ roster that they drafted in those classes. Not to say every selection was a bust as some players are still enjoying solid NFL careers elsewhere. That list includes 2012 seventh-round pick Kelvin Beachum, 2015 first-round pick Bud Dupree, and 2016 third- and seventh-round picks Javon Hargrave and Tyler Matakevich. Outside of them, barely any players from that time span still have a job in the league.
More recently, guys like OG Kevin Dotson, DT Isaiah Buggs, S Terrell Edmunds, WR Juju Smith-Schuster, CB Cameron Sutton, and RB James Conner have all enjoyed varying levels of success in the league on other teams.
Some have retired after solid careers, like LB Vince Williams, RB Le’Veon Bell, OG David DeCastro, and DE Stephon Tuitt, and obviously LB Ryan Shazier with his scary injury that forced an early retirement. But the overwhelming majority never really made a name for themselves in the league. The average NFL career is just under 3.5 years long, so it isn’t unusual for a player to fizzle out prior to completing his rookie contract, but the Steelers have long been known as an organization that builds through the draft and they had a rough stretch over the back half of QB Ben Roethlisberger’s career.
Of the 24 drafted players still on the roster, 18 of them are from the past three drafts. And there are a handful of those 24 players who very well could have played their final snaps with the Steelers in 2023. That list includes OT Chukwuma Okorafor, QB Mason Rudolph, P Pressley Harvin III, DT DeMarvin Leal, and possibly DE Isaiahh Loudermilk.
The days of truly building through the draft seem to be behind the Steelers, but there is hope for a turnaround. The last three drafts have provided some solid early returns. Especially the 2023 draft in which GM Omar Khan was calling the shots. The Steelers got solid rookie contributions out of five of their seven draft picks.
There was a period during the 2023 season when seemingly everybody was questioning the culture of the team and whether or not the “Steeler Way” was fading from Pittsburgh. Look no further than the number of home-grown players as the reason why, especially on offense where only three players remain outside of the last three drafts. There are just six players originally drafted by the Steelers that are currently beyond their rookie contract. Two of those players have a chance of not being in Pittsburgh after this offseason.
The Steelers have found themselves in a tricky salary cap situation, even after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement with the quarterback position eating up a relatively low amount of cap space. A lot of that is due to the failures in the draft. Over half of the 53-man roster to end the 2023 season were external free agents. Here’s to hoping Khan and Assistant GM Andy Weidl can continue to strike gold in their second draft in charge.
