Ranking each of Steelers’ 1st round picks over the past decade
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers had both good and bad 1st round draft choices over the past decade. Here is how I ranked each of their past ten 1st round picks.
The Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in the history of the National Football League. The Rooney family prides themselves by being a competitive team – year in and year out. Because of this, Pittsburgh rarely has down seasons.
In fact, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a losing record once since 2003 when they finished the season 6-10. Of course, Troy Polamalu started on defense the following season and Ben Roethlisberger was drafted that year as well. They haven’t looked back ever since – finishing 8-8 at worst over the past 15 seasons.
Dating back even further, the Steelers have only had 3 losing seasons since 1992, and 4 losing seasons since 1989. That is a remarkably low number, and the Steelers are one of the most winning franchises over the past 20 years of football.
The Rooney family isn’t afraid to spend money, as they allow Pittsburgh to spend to the brim of the salary cap nearly every season. However, part of the Steelers’ success comes from selecting Pro Bowl, All-Pro, or even Hall of Fame caliber players in the first round of the draft.
As of late, Pittsburgh has hit a bit of a dry spell – missing on several first round picks over the past 7 years. But for every miss, there are other 1st round picks that end up being cornerstones to their franchise.
The Steelers have had their share of ups and downs over the past decade when it comes to drafting players in the 1st round. Here is how I ranked each 1st round draft choice selected by the Steelers over the past decade of football.