Talent can be found in all corners of college football, though with the NIL landscape there are less and less players staying at smaller programs for the entirety of their collegiate careers. One of the smaller conferences in Division I college football is the Mid-American Conference featuring schools like Marshall, Toledo, Miami of Ohio, and Central Michigan. There is one notable MAC prospect in this year’s draft who is a slam dunk prospect to be taken in the first round, Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell, whom the Steelers have shown interest in.
He was recently available to the media at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and when asked who the greatest player to come out of the MAC is, he named himself. This spurred Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager to rank his top five NFL careers originating from the conference and the list was dominated by former Steelers.
Coming in at No. 5 was WR Antonio Brown. The Central Michigan product was taken in the sixth round by the Steelers in 2010 and outshined some higher-pedigreed players like Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders to get a long-term contract and be the team’s WR1. He gave the Steelers a stretch of some of the best wide receiver play of all time, including a 35-game streak with at least five catches and at least 50 yards.
“When he was at his peak, maybe no more unstoppable player in the NFL,” Schrager said. “Pure hands, pure speed, did it in the special teams game too as a punt returner.”
QB Ben Roethlisberger was the next former Steeler on the list, checking in at No. 3. He had offers elsewhere but fell in love with Miami of Ohio after it gave him his first scholarship offer. The Steelers took him in the first round of the 2004 draft. That draft class was loaded with quarterback options and the Steelers were in need after their 6-10 season the year prior. With other prospects in mind, the Steelers landed on Roethlisberger at 11th overall. And good thing they did as he led the team to three Super Bowl appearances and two wins.
“One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history,” Schrager said. “Brady, of course, has that huge gap on everybody, but Roethlisberger has more wins as a Steeler than Favre has as a Packer, then Elway has as a Bronco, Marino as a Dolphin.”
Finally, at No. 2 on the list, was Hall of Fame LB Jack Lambert. He still holds the record at Kent State for the most tackles in a single season (233) and a single game (29). He was selected in the second round of the 1974 draft class, which is widely regarded as the best draft class of all time. Lynn Swann, Lambert, John Stallworth, Mike Webster, and Donnie Shell (UDFA) are all Hall of Famers.
“One of the toughest guys to ever play the game,” Schrager said of Lambert. “Eleven years, four-time Super Bowl champion. Six-time All-Pro, nine-time Pro Bowl, and then a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.”
The other two spots on the list went to Julian Edelman (fourth) and Randy Moss (first). While Edelman has more Super Bowl rings than Brown, his inclusion higher up on the list than Brown is highly debatable if you look at the statistics.
The Steelers have definitely shown the ability to identify talent and foster the development of these MAC products, including OLB James Harrison, whom they signed as an undrafted out of Kent State. They have shown some interest in Quinyon Mitchell with Mike Tomlin talking to him at the Senior Bowl practices last month. He has been linked to the Steelers in numerous mock drafts this offseason, and he aced the Senior Bowl and followed that up with an eye-popping performance at the Combine, so he could very well be out of reach for the Steelers at 20th overall.
