Pittsburgh Steelers: 15 greatest first-round picks of all-time

Steelers 1987 first-round pick: CB Rod Woodson

While Troy Polamalu may be the greatest Steelers safety to complete his career in black and yellow, Rod Woodson is the greatest to come through Pittsburgh. The No. 10 overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft made a career for himself through eye-popping hits and some of the best highlight reels in league history.

While Woodson didn’t finish his NFL career a Steeler, he did spend 10 hall of fame years in the Steel City. During that time, he was named to seven of his 11 Pro Bowls, earned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and was an AFC Player of the Year.

Woodson’s journey to Pittsburgh wasn’t expected, as the team believed he would be higher than the No. 10 pick in the draft. But a mistake by the division rival Cleveland Browns left Woodson ripe  for the picking by a wise Steelers front office

After the Steel City, Woodson headed to the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Ravens and the Oakland Raiders before finishing his career in Canton. Last fall, he was the cornerbacks coach for the Raiders, but his legacy in Pittsburgh remains untarnished.