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

Steelers 2001 first-round pick: DT Casey Hampton

No one will ever forget the way Casey Hampton‘s gigantic head barely fit into a helmet. The 320-pound nose tackle was the force in the middle of the defense for a decade in the Steel City. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft turned a highly decorated college career at Texas into an equally impressive career in the NFL as a member of the Steelers.

Straight, right, left was the motto for “Big Snack.” Playing in 157 regular season games throughout his career, Hampton became known as one of the toughest defensive lineman in all of football.

It took him two seasons to earn Pro Bowl recognition, being named to the team five times throughout his career. Then in 2005 on biggest stage of his football career, Hampton engraved his name in Steelers’ history by sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in Super Bowl XL in Detroit. This sealed a fifth Super Bowl victory for the Steelers franchise.

Hampton finished his NFL tenure with 373 tackles, nine sacks and four forced fumbles. He’s now a member of the Steelers’ All-Time Team and hoping to one day earn his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.