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

Steelers 2014 first-round pick: LB Ryan Shazier

A heartbreaking story that many had hoped would turn into one of the greatest sports comebacks of all-time, Ryan Shazier could have easily solidified himself among the greats by the time his career was over. But after a devastating spinal cord injury, the career of one of the league’s most promising players looks to finished.

Shazier came to Pittsburgh as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The former Ohio State Buckeye was a First-Team All-American in his sophomore season and turned plenty of heads with his electrifying speed and jaw-dropping hits.

In the Steel City, Shazier was placed into an immediate starting role and took little time to become a star at linebacker. After just two seasons, Shazier was named a Pro Bowler and highly considered as one of the league’s brightest young talents on the defensive side of the ball.

For his Steelers career, Shazier racked up 299 tackles, seven sacks, seven forced fumbles and seven interceptions. Although he will no longer be contributing on the football field, he’s still one of the greatest first-round steals the Steelers have found. Hard to believe 14 teams passed on a talent like Shazier.