The Steelers have not always ‘come out on top’ with respect to the NFL draft. There were times where we looked downright foolish.
Since it is April Fools Day, I thought it would appropriate to delve into some of the draft picks that made me, at least, say to myself: “Did they just buy ‘fools gold’ here?” The NFL draft is no laughing matter. For the Steelers, who once drafted four future Hall of Famers in a single draft, it is serious business, as it is with every other team in the NFL, I would imagine.
Unfortunately, there were times where the players who were selected made us look foolish. Intrinsically, I realize that perfection in a draft is next to impossible. In other words, you are not going to ‘hit’ on every player you decide to draft; however, if you draft a player in the first round, for example, the expectation is that the drafted player will become a significant contributor to the success of the team.
That has not always been the case with the Steelers. We have ‘whiffed’ badly in some drafts. Honestly, I am sure that the Steelers do not enter a
draft thinking that any draft pick will be a ‘bust’, but we all know that has happened.
We can debate the reasons why the Steelers have ‘missed’ on certain picks, but the reality is this: No team, including our team, goes into the draft thinking that they will essentially waste a high draft pick on a player. A lot of time and effort goes into preparing for the draft; sometimes you win the draft, sometimes you lose the draft and sometimes you just get fooled.
Let’s take a look at five times the Steelers were fooled in the draft.