Top 5 most underrated players in Steelers franchise history

The Steelers drafted an athletic Tight End who was underrated as an Offensive Tackle

In the 5th round of the 1971 draft, the Steelers drafted an athletic TE out of Kansas who would start 85 games at offensive right tackle.  Larry Brown, the aforementioned TE/RT, started his 14-year career as a TE, playing that position for 6 years, thus playing the majority of his career at a position for which he was not drafted.

When Brown made the switch to RT, I remember thinking this:  Is that the same Larry Brown who had been our starting TE and who, but the way, caught what would prove to be the only TD pass thrown in Super Bowl IX?  Yes, it was.  Talk about versatility.

Honestly, I am not sure why the switch was made from TE to RT, but I remember how well Brown played in Super Bowl XIV against the Los Angeles Rams.  Brown would go on to play 5 more seasons after that and would be voted to his only Pro Bowl in 1982.

I often thought that Brown did not get the recognition he deserved as an offensive lineman.  In fact, when the discussion arises about who are the best tackles in Steeler’s history, where does Brown land in that discussion? For me, he is pretty close to the top of the list, but having had made only one Pro Bowl, I believe he gets overlooked quite a bit.

Let’s keep the discussion going.