Reevaluating the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 draft class
The rest of the Steelers 2013 class
The Steelers had three more selections in the class that I have not mentioned. The three players are Terry Hawthorne, Justin Brown and Nick Williams.
Of those three, only Brown ever played a down for the Steelers. Hawthorne never played a down in the NFL and is now in the Canadian Football League.
Nick Williams has stuck around as a reserve on three different teams appearing in 28 games in five seasons. He has not had much of an impact as he only has 18 total career tackles, three tackles for loss and three QB hits to his name.
Justin Brown was on the practice squad in 2013 but then appeared in eight games for the Steelers in 2014 and put up 12 catches on 21 targets for 94 yards. That was his only NFL action before going to Buffalo where he was waived/injured in 2015.
Like Hawthorne, Brown is currently in the CFL. These last three picks were late in the draft and did not produce any special players but that is the way the draft goes sometimes.
Overall, and keep in mind hindsight is 20/20, this draft was filled with big-time potential at the time it concluded. The team got a productive edge rusher, a versatile runner, a fast and athletic receiver and safety and what I thought was a huge steal at quarterback all in the same draft.
Next. What are realistic expectations for the Steelers 2019 season?. dark
Looking back at it now, the draft was almost a huge bust and the saving grace is none other than sixth rounder Vince Williams who is the sole remaining pick still on the roster. The class had potential and Bell gave them a spectacular few seasons but only one remaining player to show for it hurts the overall grade for this one.