Hall of Fame players Steelers could have drafted but did not

The Steelers could have made a play for this Hall of Fame running back but chose another running back instead

Full disclosure:  In the 1989 NFL draft, Barry Sanders, RB out of Oklahoma State, was selected by the Detroit Lions with the third pick in the first round; the Steelers selected Tim Worley, RB out of Georgia, with the seventh pick, so this was not a situation where we bypassed Sanders in favor of Worley.  Nonetheless, it was a mistake, and here’s why (it was a mistake).

In the 1989 draft, the Steelers possessed two first-round picks.  We clearly wanted to draft a RB with the first pick otherwise we would have drafted another position.  After taking Worley with the seventh pick, we drafted Tom Ricketts, OL out of Pitt, with the second of our first-round picks.

My premise is based on this:  If the Steelers really wanted to draft a RB, Sanders was by far the best RB in that draft class.  It would not have cost us the ‘draft capital’ of today to move up four spots to put ourselves in a position to have been able to draft Sanders.  Even if we offered the Lions both first-round picks, it would have been worth it.

Worley and Ricketts played a combined seven seasons for the Steelers.  Sanders played his entire ten-year career with the Lions, making ten consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl.  Sanders was also named All-Pro six times, was named the Offensive Player of the Year twice, was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and was named the league MVP once.

What makes the 1989 draft even more upsetting for the Steelers is the fact that we got essentially no return on our first round investments when we could have had one of the most dynamic RBs in NFL history.  For a team that still had a ‘run-first’ approach on offense, why not do whatever it took to get Sanders?

Maybe we tried to swing a trade and it just didn’t pan out.  I don’t know; what I do know is that the 1989 NFL draft will forever be remembered as one of the worst drafts in Steelers history.  Let’s talk about our final Hall of Fame player who could have been.