It’s March. The NFL Scouting Combine is over. That means one thing. The NFL draft is right around the corner. As it stands today, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making the 20th selection of the evening and adding a new piece to what Black and Gold faithful hope is a championship roster.
No pressure for second-year GM Omar Khan, but if the selection turns out to be a dud, the rabid Pittsburgh fan base will remind you of the failure until the sun burns out. People are still fuming over passing on Dan Marino in favor of Gabe Rivera 40 years ago. Buyer beware.
With that said, we thought it would be interesting to look back at previous drafts and see how the 20th pick from years past turned out. We are going to look at 20 years’ worth of 20th overall picks and see what we can glean from the past.
We chose the years 2000-2019. In fairness, guys drafted in 2020-2023 haven’t played long enough to fairly assess their careers. Our very own Kenny Pickett was the 20th selection for the Steelers draft in 2022, and it’s much too early to judge his career. The book is still out on him, regardless of what his critics think.
So, without further ado, I give you 20 years’ worth of 20th overall draft picks:
| Year | Player | POS | # of years
*=still active |
Pro Bowls | All-Pro |
| 2019 | Noah Fant, Den | TE | 5 * | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Frank Ragnow, Det | C | 6* | 3 | 2 |
| 2017 | Garett Bolles, Den | T | 7* | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | Darron Lee, NYJ | OLB | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | Nelson Agholor, PHI | WR | 9* | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Brandin Cooks, NO | WR | 10* | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | Kyle Long, Chi | G | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| 2012 | Kendall Wright, TEN | WR | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | Adrian Clayborn, TB | DE | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | Kareem Jackson, HOU | DB | 14* | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | Brandon Pettigrew, DET | TE | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | Aqib Talib, TB | CB | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| 2007 | Aaron Ross, NYG | CB | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | Tamba Hali, KC | DE | 12 | 6 | 2 |
| 2005 | Marcus Spears, DAL | DE | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | Kenechi Udeze, MIN | DE | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | George Foster, DEN | T | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | Javon Walker, GB | WR | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | Adam Archuleta, STL | S | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | Stockar McDougle, DET | T | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Now, I’m not sure what your first reaction is to this list (I’d love to know in the comments). But my first reaction was…very underwhelming.
There is only one player who could possibly be a Hall of Fame player and that is Detroit center Frank Ragnow. And it’s too early to make that prediction.
Out of 20 players, only five ever made it to a Pro Bowl and only five made All-Pro. When you are drafting in the first round, you are expecting that player to be special. You are counting on the guy to make an impact and anchor a position for years to come. Most of these names fail to meet that standard.
I would venture to say that 75 percent of these players failed to live up to their first-round selection and if the owners who drafted them were injected with truth serum, they would say that the picks could be labeled first-round busts.
However, the news isn’t all bad for Steelers fans. There is definitely some encouragement to be taken from this chart.
Two of the players on this list who actually lived up to their first-round billing and made it to multiple Pro Bowls happen to play — or played — positions of need that currently exist on the Steelers roster.
Ragnow has made three Pro Bowls in six seasons and anchors an offensive line on a Detroit team with a great offense. And Aqib Talib was a tremendous Super Bowl-winning cornerback who made five Pro Bowls during his well-traveled, 12-year career.
It just so happens that center and corner are two positions that most draft “experts” predict the Steelers will target with their first pick.
Centers such as Jackson Powers-Johnson, Zach Frazier, and Graham Barton — the Duke offensive tackle is widely projected by to kick inside at the next level — have been mocked to the Steelers. And corners such as Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Quinyon Mitchell have also been paired with Pittsburgh as No. 20.
Steeler Nation would be thrilled if any of those names became the next Ragnow or Talib, perennial Pro-Bowlers who would lock down critical positions for years to come. Or even better, become the next Webster, Dawson, Pouncey or Blount, Woodson or Taylor.
For now, we will have to endure the torturous, endless mock drafts, “insider” reports, and rampant speculation until Roger Goodell steps up to that podium and announces “with the 20th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select…”
