Top 5 greatest Steelers rookie seasons of modern era
By Eric Hassel
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The Steelers drafted a Tight End in the first round who would be part of a Super Bowl-winning team in his rookie season
In 2005, the Steelers drafted a Tight End out of Virginia with the 30th pick in the first round. The TE to whom we are referring is Heath Miller, who started 15 games in his rookie season, caught 39 passes for 459 yards. Of those 39 passes, 6 went for TDs.
Miller would go on to add 7 receptions for 107 yards and 1 TD en route to becoming part of the team that won the fifth Super Bowl for the Steelers. I would say that capped a pretty successful rookie campaign for Miller, but success would not stop there.
Three seasons later, in 2008, Miller would again win a Super Bowl as an integral component of the Steelers offense. While Miller was never a prolific pass catcher, his contribution was evident in the running game. I would dare say that Miller could have played offensive tackle if pressed into duty.
Miller would go on to earn two trips to the Pro Bowl along with being a two-time Super Bowl Champion. If you watched him play, you know that he was a ‘security blanket’ for ‘Big Ben’. Miller was the model of consistency. He played in 168 games in his 11 seasons, starting 167 of those games. Miller ended his Steelers career with 592 receptions for 6569 yards with 45 TDs.
Let’s continue with players number four and number three.