Top 50 Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2000’s: players 40-31

38. Mike Mitchell, FS (2009)

Mike Mitchell is the first free agent signing to appear on this list. He was originally drafted 47th overall by the Raiders in 2009, and didn’t join the Steelers until the 2014 season.

During his time in Pittsburgh, Mitchell started 60 games over the course of 4 seasons. He wasn’t much of a play-maker in the back end in terms of creating interceptions (he had just 4 in his career with the Steelers). However, Mitchell was known for his closing speed and violent hitting ability.

Much like a poor man’s Ryan Clark, Mitchell was a human missile coming from center field. Some of his hits would leave you cringing – concerned about the offensive player he just flattened.

Mitchell was widely considered to be a huge hot-head on the Steelers, and often let his emotions get the best of him. I still remember a play where he smashed a ball carrier, forced a fumble, and then stood over the ball with his arms crossed – forgetting to recover the football.

That pretty much sums up the kind of player Mike Mitchell was for the Steelers. He could be great at times, but more often than not, would leave you scratching your head or yelling at the TV.