The Best of the Steelers’ 1998 N.F.L. Draft Class Paved the Way to Recent Greatness

Deshea Townsend

4th Round (117th Overall Pick)

Cornerback

University of Alabama

While he may not be a future Hall of Fame player like the first two guys I have previously discussed, Deshea Townsend carved out quite the career for himself with the Steelers, and played some solid and steady football along the way for the team.

Townsend, like Ward, played his way onto the roster by way of Special Teams early in his career (1998-1999).  Then slowly but surely, Townsend began to receive more playing time on the Defensive side of the ball by showing what he could do.  And as time went on, Townsend produced time and time again for the Steelers when called upon.  In spot Nickel and Dime duty in 2000 and 2001, Townsend accumulated 5.5 Sacks and gathered the first two INT’s of his career.  Then in 2002 and 2003, Deshea received more playing time and collected a 6 total INT’s, 1 TD, 1 FF, 1 FR and made a combined 93 Tackles in 11 starts.  By 2004, starting CB Dewayne Washington was gone, and it was Townsend’s time to shine.  That year he became a full-time starter and enjoyed the best season of his career by posting 4.0 Sacks, 4 INT’s, 1 TD, 1 FF, 1 FR, and 56 Tackles in 15 starts!

In the next three seasons (2005-2007), Townsend started 42 games, had 5.0 Sacks (including a big one in Super Bowl XL), 6 INT’s, 3 FF’s, 1 FR, and made a total of 148 Tackles while playing some good and under-the-radar football across from Bryant McFadden and Ike Taylor and against the slot WR’s.  And while his playing time and starts diminished during his last two seasons in Pittsburgh (2008-2009), Townsend made one incredibly momentous play that essentially gave the Steelers a must win game at home against the Cowboys in 2008.

With around 2:00 to play and the game knotted at 13, Townsend picked off a Tony Romo pass at the Cowboys 25 yard line and raced in for the go-ahead score!  I’ll never forget how awesome it was to watch Deshea run down that sideline and how good I felt for him to come up big in that situation.  The oldest of the Steelers’ DB’s at that point in his career, Townsend made Romo pay for his mistake and helped the Steelers poach a win in a game that they rightfully should have lost.

After another Super Bowl ring later that season, Townsend played his final season with the Steelers in 2009, and finished out his career with the Colts in 2010.  Even though he may not have been Pittsburgh’s most talented DB during his 12 year run with the Steelers, Townsend had himself a solid career and came through when he called upon time and time again for the franchise.

In 12 seasons with the Steelers, Townsend made 15.5 Sacks, 21 INT’s, scored 3 TD’s, had 92 Passes Defended, and made 439 Tackles in 80 starts in 183 total games.  Not flashy by any means, but some darn good numbers for a guy that was a 4th Round Pick, and always seemed to be on the hot seat when the Steelers drafted other CB’s that he ended up out-playing like Hank Poteat Ricardo Colclough.  While you may not be a Hall of Famer Deshea, you still were an important piece of those Super Bowl teams and a member of the “’98 Triumvirate” that helped to begin a decade long of terrific Steelers football.

Final Thoughts

I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for the work that Faneca, Ward, and Townsend did over the years with the Steelers.  As I stated before, ’98 wasn’t the only Draft Class the Steelers put together to make successful postseason runs during the 2000’s.  Nevertheless, it was the Draft Class where the pieces were first put into place.  Don’t get me wrong, there were some complete and total misses made by Donahoe & Co. in ’98.  But to acquire two future Hall of Fame players along with a guy like Deshea Townsend for a 4th Round pick is fantastic.

I am by no means comparing ’98 to ’74’s illustrious class which featured 4 Hall of Famers (Swann, Lambert, Stallworth, and Webster, plus Shell and Grossman as UDFA’s).  1974 stands alone as the franchise’s and N.F.L.’s finest Draft Class ever, and it is impossible to dispute.  However, let’s take some time to reflect on how important these three players were to the franchise’s recent accomplishments, and celebrate that on April 18th and 19th, 1998 the Steelers made some pretty terrific choices.  Because without the ’98 Draft Class, the Steelers might not have been Super Bowl Champions at all last decade.

Now it’s your turn readers.  Let me know your thoughts and feelings on the ’98 Class and what they meant to you as a member of “Steeler Nation.”

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(Stats acquired via www.pro-football-reference.com)