On Tuesday morning, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco gave out grades to each team for their 2021 draft haul with enough time passed to give a more accurate grade than the instant knee-jerk reactions following each draft. He gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a C-. That was Kevin Colbert’s penultimate draft in charge of making the selections, which gave me the idea to rank the top and bottom five draft classes from his 23-year stint in charge of drafting for the team.
This is subjective by nature, but I attempted to use as much data and statistics as possible to support each placement. This includes the weighted approximate value via Pro Football Reference, the number of Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, the number of games played, and other considerations. Below is a chart of some of the data I used to form this list. I like to finish on a high note, so let’s start with the bottom.
Bottom Five
1. 2008
1:23 – RB Rashard Mendenhall
2:52 – WR Limas Sweed
3:88 – LB Bruce Davis
4:130 – T Tony Hills
5:156 – QB Dennis Dixon
6:188 – LB Mike Humpal
6:194 – DB Ryan Mundy
There are a few in contention for Colbert’s worst draft class, but 2008 holds that distinction in my eyes. They got next to nothing out of everyone in the class other than Mendenhall and Mundy, and Mendenhall is probably best remembered for fumbling away Super Bowl XLV in the fourth quarter. There were zero Pro Bowlers from this class, and the seven players combined for just 239 games played. To put that into perspective, the 2021 draft class has already surpassed the combined total games played of 2008 after just three seasons.
2. 2015
1:22 – OLB Bud Dupree
2:56 – CB Senquez Golson
3:87 – WR Sammie Coates
4:121 – CB Doran Grant
5:160 – TE Jesse James
6:199 – DT L.T. Walton
6:212 – DE Anthony Chickillo
7:239 – S Gerod Holliman
The Steelers defense was just starting to fall apart after the dominant 2000s units and they badly needed help at outside linebacker and in the secondary. Dupree ended up being a fine player, though it took him nearly his entire rookie contract to start paying off, but outside of him this draft class was pretty unremarkable. Jesse James did enough in Pittsburgh to earn a nice second contract, but he never lived up to that second contract and fizzled out of the league. All three of the DBs they drafted amounted to nothing. Golson couldn’t stay healthy and never saw an NFL game, Holliman couldn’t tackle and never made the roster, and Grant only ever appeared in three games. Coates had one decent season in 2016, but only lasted on the roster for two years. Zero Pro Bowl selections from this group and just one player left in the NFL at this point in Dupree.
3. 2018
1:28 – S Terrell Edmunds
2:60 – WR James Washington
3:76 – QB Mason Rudolph
3:92 – OT Chukwuma Okorafor
5:148 – S Marcus Allen
6:165 – RB Jaylen Samuels
7:246 – DT Joshua Frazier
The Steelers needed a safety, but the selection of Edmunds in the first round was viewed as a reach by many. He got better each year in Pittsburgh and was a fine player by the time he departed in free agency, but he never lived up to the first-round pick that was used on him. The Steelers turned around and traded away a future first-round pick the next season to acquire S Minkah Fitzpatrick. James Washington looked to be breaking out in his second season with 735 yards, but he never came close to reaching that number again and has since fizzled out of the league. Rudolph was an unnecessary investment at the time, but turned out to be a fine player and helped the Steelers to the playoffs in 2023. Okorafor was probably the best selection in this class as a two-contract player at tackle for the Steelers, but he was never anything special.
There are zero players left from this draft on the Steelers roster just six years later and none of them commanded serious money in free agency. Another class with no Pro Bowl selections or other notable accolades.
4. 2019
1:10 – LB Devin Bush Jr.
3:66 – WR Diontae Johnson
3:83 – CB Justin Layne
4:122 – RB Benny Snell Jr.
5:141 – TE Zach Gentry
6:175 – OLB Sutton Smith
6:192 – DT Isaiah Buggs
6:207 – ILB Ulysees Gilbert III
7:219 – OL Derwin Gray
You could probably argue that this class should be lower down on the list of worst classes because of the trade that took place to acquire Bush. They gave away their second-round pick in 2019 and their third-round pick in 2020, all for a player that could barely stay in the starting lineup by the end of his rookie contract. This was one of the first serious moves the team made to address the hole at ILB following Ryan Shazier’s injury, and it backfired in a big way. Johnson turned out to be a fine player and is one of the best route runners in the league, but the Steelers traded him this offseason. The only other player who made much of themselves at the NFL level from this class is Isaiah Buggs.
All players from this class are off the roster just five years later, but Johnson did put this class on the board with one Pro Bowl selection.
5. 2022
1:20 – QB Kenny Pickett
2:52 – WR George Pickens
3:84 – DL DeMarvin Leal
4:138 – WR Calvin Austin III
6:208 – TE Connor Heyward
7:225 – ILB Mark Robinson
7:241 – QB Chris Oladokun
You could slot in any of Colbert’s final three draft classes into this spot. The 2020 class gets a break because the Steelers didn’t have a first-round pick as a result of the Fitzpatrick trade, which was a huge positive. The 2021 class at least has Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth as two solid contributors who have a chance at a second contract with the team. I landed on the 2022 class, Colbert’s final as the general manager as the fifth worst over his tenure.
Pickett didn’t even make it halfway through his rookie contract before being traded, and the two years he did play were unremarkable. Leal has been unable to carve out a role for himself and spent the end of the 2023 season as a gameday inactive. Mark Robinson clearly didn’t impress enough to prevent the team from adding multiple ILBs this offseason.
Pickens is the lone bright spot, but this will be a huge year for his career trajectory. He is the unquestioned WR1 and will be dealing with a lot of extra attention in 2024. Heyward and Austin are solid role players, but I wouldn’t exactly call them building blocks of the roster at this point. There is still time for this to change with these players only playing two seasons so far, but Colbert wanted to leave the team in a good spot and did quite the opposite with his last several drafts.
Top Five
1. 2010
1:18 – C Maurkice Pouncey
2:52 – OLB Jason Worilds
3:82 – WR Emmanuel Sanders
4:116 – EDGE Thaddeus Gibson
5:151 – OL Chris Scott
5:164 – DB Crezdon Butler
5:166 – ILB Stevenson Sylvester
6:188 – RB Jonathan Dwyer
6:195 – WR Antonio Brown
7:242 – DT Doug Worthington
It is close between 2010 and 2002, especially when you consider the UDFAs, but 2010 is Colbert’s finest work in my eyes. He managed to find two players who played at Hall of Fame levels for a long time in Pouncey and Brown – the latter being taken in the sixth round. Emmanuel Sanders was a great receiver as well, though most of his success came with other teams as he won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. Jason Worilds was on track to be a good OLB, but suddenly retired after just five seasons. This class had 18 Pro Bowls and six first-team All-Pro selections.
2. 2002
1:30 – G Kendall Simmons
2:62 – WR Antwaan Randle El
3:94 – DB Chris Hope
4:128 – LB Larry Foote
5:166 – RB Verron Haynes
6:202 – WR Lee Mays
7:212 – DB LaVar Glover
7:242 – DE Brett Keisel
In terms of the number of hits and the career longevity of the players, Colbert’s 2002 class was unmatched. They played a combined 852 games in the NFL. There were only two Pro Bowl selections, but Simmons, Randle El, Hope, Foote, and Keisel were all solid building blocks for the success of the 2000s Steelers. The trio of defenders were all major components of the dominant defenses of those years. James Harrison was also undrafted this season but didn’t start contributing until years later.
3. 2003
1:16 – S Troy Polamalu
2:59 – ILB Alonzo Jackson
4:125 – CB Ike Taylor
5:163 – QB Brian St. Pierre
7:242 – RB J.T. Wall
With just five players, the 2003 draft class was Colbert’s smallest, but it packed a punch. Really just two notable players in Polamalu and Taylor, but they are two of the best defensive backs in team history, and Polamalu is in the Hall of Fame. This was one of Colbert’s few trade ups in the first round during his tenure and he hit in a big way with Polamalu. Eight Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro selections for this group, and a major part of two Super Bowl championships.
4. 2004
1:11 – QB Ben Roethlisberger
2:38 – DB Ricardo Colclough
3:75 – OT Max Starks
5:145 – DE Nathaniel Adibi
6:177 – OT Bo Lacy
6:194 – TE Matt Kranchick
6:197 – C Drew Caylor
7:212 – DT Eric Taylor
There were more misses than hits in this class, but it is hard not to include the draft that brought in future-HOF quarterback Roethlisberger. They also hit on OT Max Starks, so they managed to draft well at two of the most valuable positions on a football team. This was also the year that RB Willie Parker was signed as an undrafted free agent and that adds a lot of value as well.
5. 2011
1:31 – DE Cameron Heyward
2:63 – OT Marcus Gilbert
3:95 – CB Curtis Brown
4:128 – CB Cortez Allen
5:162 – LB Chris Carter
6:196 – OG Keith Williams
7:232 – RB Baron Batch
You could put 2017 (Watt, Smith-Schuster, Sutton, Conner) or 2007 (Timmons, Woodley, Spaeth, Gay) in this spot, but hitting on a DE and an OT with the first two picks is enough to edge out the others. Heyward is trying to make his final push to put himself in the Hall of Fame conversation and is the longest tenured player on the team by far at this point. He has been the heart and soul of the defense for year now. Gilbert was a solid right tackle and was a part of the dominant OL of the mid to late 2010s that fueled much of the offensive success. Allen showed promise early on but could never put it all together.
Honorable Mention
2014
1:15 – ILB Ryan Shazier
2:46 – DE Stephon Tuitt
3:97 – WR Dri Archer
4:118 – WR Martavis Bryant
5:157 – CB Shaquille Richardson
5:173 – OL Wesley Johnson
6:192 – LB Jordan Zumwalt
6:215 – DT Daniel McCullers
7:230 – TE Rob Blanchflower
The best draft class that never was. The 2014 class had to be listed somewhere on here because it shows the element of luck that plays into drafting well. Their evaluations were solid on Shazier, Tuitt, and Bryant, but they didn’t last in the league for various reasons. Shazier had a career-ending spinal cord injury, Tuitt retired after injury and family issues took his focus away from the game, and Bryant couldn’t stay out of trouble. But when they were playing, all three were electric players for the Steelers. This had a chance at rivaling the 2010 or 2002 classes if things worked out differently.
