Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Santonio Holmes will forever be a legend in the Steel City for his heroics in Super Bowl XLIII. Holmes’ late-game magic helped Pittsburgh win its sixth Super Bowl and helped him right the wrongs of what he felt cost the ’95 Steelers the Super Bowl.
To get to that point and overcome something that bothered him for over a decade, Holmes had to be drafted by Pittsburgh. Yet, Holmes didn’t think it would happen, even after multiple draft day phone calls from the Steelers and a prediction from his step-dad.
“I always wanted to play there [in Pittsburgh], but I had no clue,” said Holmes on All Things Covered. “They had the last pick in the first round. I ain’t getting drafted last pick, but that’s what my step-dad told me on draft day. He gonna look at me while he over there cooking on the grill, talking about, ‘Hey, you know you’re going to Pittsburgh?’ I said, ‘Dad, I’m not going to Pittsburgh. They got the last pick of the first round. I’m going way before that.'”
The Steelers had the 32nd pick in the draft after winning Super Bowl XL. Additionally, the loss of WR Antwaan Randle El in the offseason led to a need at the wide receiver position. Holmes was the top wide receiver prospect of the draft, so his falling to Pittsburgh required a little luck, and even that might not have been enough.
Holmes fell out of the top 10, and then, as players not named Holmes kept coming off the board, Pittsburgh called to let him know they were interested in drafting him. At the time, the Steelers wide receiver room consisted of only two notable names: Hines Ward and Nate Washington. While both were good players, they needed someone else, leading to the Steelers’ interest in Holmes.
“I get these calls, I get New Orleans, I get the Dolphins, I get, I think it was Arizona, and the Steelers call,” recalled Holmes. “When they called, they was like, ‘Hey, hang tight, we’re thinking about drafting you.’ And this is around pick 12, 13. So I’m like, man, y’all got the 32nd pick. I really don’t think I’m getting drafted to Pittsburgh at all.”
The wait for Santonio Holmes ended shortly after this, with Pittsburgh trading up to draft him with the 25th pick which they traded for with the New York Giants. However, Holmes had no idea Pittsburgh was planning on trading up, so he was confused when he got the call.
“Pick 21, pick 22 happen, I get the phone call like, ‘Hey, are you still interested in being a Steeler?’ re-told Holmes. “I’m like, ‘What do you mean, am I getting drafted like 32nd or am I getting drafted right now?’ He was like, ‘Just hang tight, we’ll give you a call back.’ So the call back rang on the 23rd pick and then they had me on the phone and that’s when they said they was making the trade…I’m watching on the thing [television], and it was like, ‘With the 25th pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers trade up to get Santonio Holmes.’ And I just turned and looked at my mom and just started crying. I was like, this really happened.”
While the fall was probably upsetting for Santonio Holmes, who thought he would go in the top 15, it couldn’t have ended any better. Holmes was a Steelers fan growing up, so getting to go the team he grew up rooting was a dream come true. Being able to have such an impact on the Steelers must make Holmes feel even better about his impressive career. It is one thing to be a good NFL wide receiver; it is another thing to become a legend for the team you grew up rooting for.
At pick 25, Holmes was the first receiver off the board in the 2006 NFL Draft, which shows how much more valuable wide receivers have become and how different the game is today. In the 2024 NFL Draft, seven wide receivers went in the first round, with three going in the top 10.
In his rookie year, Holmes quickly made an impact with Pittsburgh, catching 49 passes for 824 yards and two touchdowns. For the cherry on top of his first professional season, he knocked the Cincinnati Bengals out of the playoffs.
Knocking out the Bengals pales in comparison to his toe-tap catch against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. A team that called Holmes about their interest in draft day but passed. He ended up being the reason they didn’t win the Super Bowl only three seasons later.
Holmes ended up playing four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he tallied 235 receptions for 3,835 yards and 20 touchdowns. In addition, Holmes was also a good punt returner for Pittsburgh, tallying 496 regular season punt return yards and one regular season touchdown. Holmes only returned punts in the playoffs in 2008. Still, he made a huge impact in the return game, tallying 103 return yards through three games and returning one punt for a touchdown in the divisional round against the San Diego Chargers, which helped kick the Steelers into gear that day.
Remember this Santonio Holmes return for a touchdown? #Steelers pic.twitter.com/404Sqv8Rb4
— BlitzburghUSAVideos (@sdextrasmedia) October 7, 2020
For a kid who held a grudge against Steelers receivers of the past for losing the Super Bowl in 1995, to making the Super Bowl-winning catch for Pittsburgh in 2008, Holmes probably cannot be happier he fell in the draft and his step-dad’s prediction was right.
