By now, you’ve read Part One and Part Two of our Steelers Depot All-Time draft. Six of us – Dave Bryan, Joe Clark, Ross McCorkle, Josh Carney, Scott Brown, and myself – assembling the best roster possible in a 26 round draft to address every starting position.
Below are the final teams we’ve put together, packaged in aesthetically pleasing graphic made by our Tyler Wise.
(And if you can’t read the photos well enough, you can click here for a text-based photo).
Dave Bryan’s Team
Josh Carney’s Team
Scott Brown’s Team
Ross McCorkle’s Team
Joe Clark’s Team
Alex Kozora’s Team
Each team is laying out the case for why their team was better than the other five. And if they had to vote for someone else who put together the best squad, they dive into that, too. The results are above, the explanations below.
Joe Clark
Why I’d Pick My Team
The way our roster is constructed, our offense is going to be hard to stop. We have three legitimate playmakers at receiver in Plaxico Burress, Louis Lipps and JuJu Smith-Schuster with an elite quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. All things considered, our line is solid, and with Franco Harris in the backfield, stopping us on the ground or through the air won’t be easy. Defensively, we have some solid playmakers, too. Andy Russell will be a force against the run, and Donnie Shell is one of the best playmakers in the secondary.
On top of that, our defensive line has a case to be the best of any team. Ernie Holmes is underrated in the middle, and Aaron Smith and L.C. Greenwood are going to be stout against the run and will be able to get after the passer. Holmes can provide some pass-rush juice too, as will Bud Dupree at outside linebacker. That will allow our secondary to feast on poorly thrown balls under pressure.
In totality, it’s tough to look at the weapons that we have on offense combined with the pieces in place at every level of our defense, especially up front, and not consider this team to be the best.
Why I’d Pick Another Team
If I couldn’t pick my own team, I’d give the nod to Josh for the best team. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are an elite receiver duo and Martavis Bryant can be a deep threat. Kordell Stewart will provide some juice on the ground as well as through the air. With Willie Parker, that’s going to be a tough offense to stop. The offensive line has some solid pieces, with Jon Kolb being the best, but this team’s defense is really what gives it the nod for me. Kevin Greene and Chad Brown are bringing Blitzburgh back, and a Mike Wagner/Carnell Lake safety duo with Joe Greene and Cam Heyward up front is dangerous. All-around, that’s a well-built roster.
Josh Carney
Why I’d Pick My Team
Even in today’s NFL, with it being a high-flying offensive league, I still firmly believe that defense wins championships. Maybe that’s because I grew up in a defensive era with the Steelers in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where the big names largely lived on the defensive side of the football. That played out in the way I chose my team.
Games are won and lost in the trenches, so I wanted to build up the defensive side of the football there, landing Mean Joe Greene. Pairing him with Cameron Heyward was a home run for me. That’s going to be a tough 1-2 punch to deal with up front. Having the likes of Kevin Greene and Chad Brown coming off the EDGE to get after the quarterback with Jack Ham and Larry Foote roaming in coverage and cleaning everything up gave me great comfort. Having Carnell Lake and Mike Wagner keeping everything in check over the top capped a strong defense for me.
Offensively, I’m banging on throwing short and running long in the passing game, hoping for magic from Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Martavis Bryant after the catch. Kordell Stewart was ahead of his time, so I think he could be really dangerous as that dual-threat quarterback, and I’d allow him to really lean into freelancing and letting his natural talents take over. The offensive line has plenty of Super Bowl experience and toughness to lean on, too.
Why I’d Pick Another Team
Since I can’t pick my own team, I would go with Dave’s roster here. Having Terry Bradshaw taking snaps from Mike Webster, and then throwing to Antonio Brown, George Pickens and Roy Jefferson feels like a cheat code. Add that he can hand off to Jerome Bettis and that offense could be really potent.
There are some concerns with his offensive line, a group he waited on, but defensively the roster is solid top to bottom. Not many stars, but just super steady and pieces that would fit well together on this hypothetical team. I was often kicking myself after Dave selected throughout the draft.
Dave Bryan
Just look at the offensive weapons that I compiled for starters. QB Terry Bradshaw throwing to WR Antonio Brown, WR George Pickens, WR Roy Jefferson, and TE Eric Green. If that’s not enough, The Bus, RB Jerome Bettis, in the backfield. While there might be a few questions in totality about the offensive line I assembled, it is bolstered by OC Mike Webster. This line is more than good enough to get the job done.
Defensively, I went with a 3-4 that is bolstered in the middle by NT Casey Hampton and that was by design. My linebacker group is solid as well with OLBs Jason Gildon and Clark Haggans (126 career sacks combined) and ILBs Levon Kirkland and Lawrence Timmons. Nobody is running on that front seven. Oh on the back end of my defense is FS Minkah Fitzpatrick and two very capable CBs in Deshea Townsend and CB Dewayne Washington.
Still not impressed or convinced? Look at my specialists. Are you kidding me? They let me draft K Chris Boswell, P Bobby Joe Green, and LS Greg Warren. The icing on the cake? Lynn Chandnois, arguably the greatest returner in Steelers’ history. Shame on my cohorts for letting me assemble this team. It felt like I was playing chess while they all were playing checkers.
Why I’d Pick Another Team
If forced to, I would likely go with the team that Ross put together and mainly because of the defense he was able to assemble. That unit includes some fine players in James Harrison, Jack Lambert, and Rod Woodson. DE Stephon Tuitt is probably an underrated selected on his team on the defensive side of the football as well.
Ross also probably has the best guard duo in this draft in David DeCastro and Isaac Seumalo and in totality, RB Le’Veon Bell should be able to run behind that offensive line he assembled. That offense that Ross assembled could grind a defense down on the ground.
Bell can also catch out of the backfield, and he would complement the play of QB Neil O’Donnell because of that. Throw in pass targets such as TE Heath Miller and WRs Mike Wallace and Ron Shanklin and Ross’ team could probably beat all the other ones in this draft. Except for mine, of course.
Scott Brown
Why I’d Pick My Team
T.J. Watt and LaMarr Woodley flying in off the edges. Troy Polamalu just plain flying around. James Farrior owning the middle of the field like it is Cleveland. Up front, I’ll figure it out with Dwight White, Brett Keisel and Ernie Stautner, the first player to have his number retired by the Steelers. This group is absolutely loaded. And when the Steelers win Super Bowls, they do so on the back of their defense
I’ll take a cue from “Field of Dreams” to introduce my offense. Instead of cornfields imagine QB Bobby Layne, RBs Bill “Bullet” Dudley and Fran Rogel and WRs Buddy Dial and Val Jansante emerging from a cluster of steel mills. They are proof that there were Steelers greats before the 1970s. And they will love the offensive line. It is anchored by C Maurkice Pouncey and very underrated T Larry Brown — the player Chuck Noll once said should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Why I’d Pick Another Team
There is a lot to like about every team. That’s what happens when an organization has enough great players to win six Super Bowls — and ones who came before them (see my offense!!!). Dave is my choice for a couple of reasons. Webby snapping to Bradshaw with The Bus behind them? Yeah, sign me up. And Antonio Brown (pre-“Mr. Big Chest”) on the outside? Wow.
I love his defense up the middle with Casey Hampton, the Levon Kirkland-Lawrence Timmons pairing, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. His special teams ultimately separate him from the pack. Package that unit with enough Bazooka gum to fill Acrisure Stadium and that is Danny Smith’s heaven.
Alex Kozora
Why I’d Pick My Team
Have you seen that trio at wide receiver? Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Yancey Thigpen? It certainly helps mask the woeful situation of being the last to take a quarterback. Still, I’d remind you Jim Finks made a Pro Bowl, led the league in passing yards in 1955, and became Pittsburgh’s first 20-touchdown passer and one of only three Steelers quarterbacks to do it before 1978. So don’t knock it as much as you might think. If Yancey Thigpen can have 1,300-yard seasons catching passes from Kordell Stewart and Neil O’Donnell, he’ll do just fine with Finks.
The line is strong and taking Alan Faneca that early was by design knowing the fall-off there was at guard. Frank Varrichione made more Pro Bowls than any tackle in team history. The d-line is just ok with an 80s/90s vibe and some underrated names. The EDGE rush duo of Greg Lloyd and Joey Porter Sr. is excellent while Mel Blount and Jack Butler at corner is unfair. And did you know Pat Brady led the NFL in gross average in two of his three seasons before injury ended his career? Put that in a Snapple cap.
Even including the shoe-in eventual Hall of Famers for each other Steelers team, I have more than anyone else. My squad has seven compared to Scott’s five, Dave and Joe’s four, Josh’s three, and Ross’ two. Sure, not all of my seven made it to Canton exclusively because of their Pittsburgh career but a gold jacket is a gold jacket.
Why I’d Pick Another Team
You gotta know and appreciate old-school flair but I’m going with Scott Brown’s squad. Bobby Layne was still a stud even if the only number higher than his age was his BAC. Billy Dudley was one of Pittsburgh’s first true stars while Buddy Dial was a big-play threat. The line isn’t great but good with Maurkice Pouncey as its anchor point.
The d-line is a little awkward in a 3-4 but the talent and value Dwight White and Ernie Stautner is excellent. T.J. Watt and LaMarr Woodley will fly off the edge and a secondary of Troy Polamalu, Darren Perry, and Dwayne Woodruff is awesome, even if Chad Scott is the outlier of the group. I don’t see a real weakness here.
Ross McCorkle
Why I’d Pick My Team
I tried to assemble a team that best fits the personality of the successful Steelers teams over the years. It’s a strong defense powered by Rod Woodson—arguably the best corner of all time—Jack Lambert, James Harrison, Ryan Clark, Joe Haden and others. Stephon Tuitt was not as sought after as I thought he would be. People forget that his peak of play looked like he could be on a perennial All-Pro trajectory if injuries and family tragedy hadn’t derailed his career. He had 25 QB Hits, 11 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and a whopping 71 total pressures in his final season. That is insane for a 3-4 defensive end. I’ve got tools to stop the run and keep scores down to allow the offense to control time of possession and grind down opposing teams’ defenses.
Once the top two quarterbacks were gone, I knew I had to build an offense that could run the ball at all costs. I would take my offensive line of Max Starks, Isaac Seumalo, Jeff Hartings, David DeCastro, and John Jackson over any other team other than maybe Joe’s group. I managed to land Heath Miller to further bulk up the blocking abilities, and while most people went modern with a third receiver in their flex spot, I grabbed the best fullback in Steelers history in Rocky Bleier. Both Bleier and Le’Veon Bell should be able to grind down opponents and Neil O’Donnell just needs to play game manager.
The run on receivers started early, so I decided to go with some deep threats to build off play-action and the strong run game. Teams are going to need to stack the box against this offense, and I have some options to go over the top of defenses.
Why I’d Pick Another Team
Alex’s roster is loaded with Hall of Fame talent, so I would probably gravitate toward his squad. There’s a little concern with his quarterback being able to get the ball out to his receivers, but Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Yancey Thigpen should be able to make any quarterback look good. He also got one of the steals of the draft with HOF RB John Henry Johnson in one of the final rounds. His defense has a lot of personality with Mel Blount, Joey Porter Sr., and Greg Lloyd. That pair of HOF corners would make it difficult for teams to keep up with his high-flying passing attack on offense.
Now it’s your turn. Of the six teams, who had the best roster? Scott, Josh, Dave, Joe, Ross, or Alex? We’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you had any ideas for any exercises similar to this, let us know in the comments. We had one reader suggest each person building his own all-time 53-man roster, not in draft form but just straight picks, to compare and contrast the squads. That’s something we’ll consider in the off time before training camp begins.
