Every year, fans of each NFL team look at their draft classes full of hope. It is only natural as all 32 teams get shiny new rookies to look at. You can envision each draft pick’s future successes in the moment they are selected. For the Steelers, the 2019 draft class was no different. If anything, it carried more hype with a rare trade up in the first round. But here we are five years later, and all nine picks are gone.
They aren’t the only draft class to have zero players remaining, but they are the most recent. The 2018 draft class might be close behind with Chukwuma Okorafor now a member of the Patriots and Mason Rudolph receiving interest around the league as a pending free agent.
Here is the 2019 draft class:
First Round: ILB Devin Bush Jr. — 10th overall
The Steelers traded up from the 20th pick to the 10th pick to select Bush. GM Kevin Colbert didn’t have a track record of trading up much, so the thought was that the Steelers had finally solved their ILB woes after Ryan Shazier’s devastating injury two years prior. He got off to a good start with 109 tackles and flashes of playmaking ability in his rookie season but sustained an ACL tear in his second year. He never quite bounced back, which led to the Steelers declining his fifth-year option and they had more or less benched him by the end of his tenure in Pittsburgh.
He signed with the Seattle Seahawks last March and also saw little playing time there on a one-year deal. He is now a pending free agent.
Third Round: WR Diontae Johnson — 66th overall
The latest news from this draft class is Johnson leaving the team via a reported trade with the Carolina Panthers. He had a good, not great, tenure in Pittsburgh. He is an excellent route runner, but his hands were inconsistent, though he seemed to have mostly cleaned that up. In 2020, he had a whopping 14 drops. He is a solid pro and will likely sign a decent-sized contract this offseason if not next year when he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. He was the longest-tenured player on the offense and was the last member of the class to depart the team.
Third Round: CB Justin Layne — 83rd overall
Layne actually fits the current archetype of what the Steelers look for in corners with his 6-2, lengthy frame. In three seasons with the Steelers, he started zero games and was never more than a rotational player. He didn’t make it through his rookie contract as the Steelers released him after three seasons. He bounced around through waivers to three different teams in 2022 but fizzled out of the league following that season.
Fourth Round: RB Benny Snell Jr. — 122nd overall
Snell stuck with the team for his entire rookie contract, but only received five starts. He saw his most work in his first two seasons prior to Najee Harris being drafted to become the starter. In total, he rushed for 982 yards and seven touchdowns. He briefly spent time with the Detroit Lions after his time in Pittsburgh but was quickly released. He was not under contract for the entire 2023 regular season and very well could have played his last down in the NFL.
Fifth Round: TE Zach Gentry — 141st overall
Gentry has a massive frame at 6-8, 265 pounds. He spent four years in Pittsburgh and started 26 games, but he never quite took the next step as a blocker or a receiver. The Steelers signed him last offseason and took him into training camp, but he ended up being released with the addition of Darnell Washington in the 2023 draft. In total, he had 39 receptions for 303 yards and zero touchdowns. He landed with the Las Vegas Raiders after spending most of the 2023 season on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad, but only appeared in one game last season. He is currently under contract with Las Vegas through 2024.
Sixth Round: OLB Sutton Smith — 175th overall
Smith was highly productive in college as a defensive end. The Northern Illinois product had 29 sacks in his last two seasons there. He was never really a fit for Pittsburgh at that position at 6-0, 225 pounds, and he didn’t end up making the 53-man roster. He has bounced around the league since his release and even circled back to the Steelers’ practice squad for a week in November of his rookie year. He has only appeared in eight NFL games, all with the Las Vegas Raiders, after transitioning to fullback.
Sixth Round: DT Isaiah Buggs — 192nd overall
Buggs is one of the few from this draft class who is still active in the league as of the 2023 season. Talented but inconsistent, he never played up to his potential and was waived after three seasons. He has spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions. He started 13 games for them in 2022 but didn’t get as much usage in 2023. He is now with the Kansas City Chiefs and won a Super Bowl ring after getting signed to the team’s practice squad in early January.
Sixth Round: ILB Ulysees Gilbert III — 207th overall
Gilbert was one of those players who looked great in training camp every summer but struggled with injuries. He played 28 games with the Steelers and had 25 total tackles. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 2022 and saw the field a few times but has been a free agent since 2023.
Seventh Round: OL Derwin Gray — 219th overall
Gray appeared in five games for the Steelers and stuck around on the practice squad until the beginning of the season in 2020 when he was waived. He spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, and currently is a member of the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL.
