Pittsburgh Steelers greatest late round draft gems of all time

James Harrison, OLB, 2002 NFL Draft: Undrafted, Kent State

Harrison had one of the craziest starts to his career before becoming the best pass-rusher in franchise history. He was undrafted coming out of Kent State and spent some time jumping from the Steelers to the Baltimore Ravens, and the Rhein Fire in the NFL European league. He would return to the black and gold in 2004 and that is when his game started to come along.

After sitting behind guys like Joey Porter, Harrison started to get his career going. After Porter left, it was Harrison’s job to take. He would be one of the best edge rushers in the NFL for the remainder of his career. He was a legend around the league and will always be in Pittsburgh.

He finished his career with the most sacks by a player in franchise history. Harrison played on many amazing defenses during his career but time and time again he was their best player on the field. This player was a monster that could not be blocked and that helped him form amazing tandems on the edge. His work ethic and time put in on and off the field to have his body in shape was never matched across the NFL. He was a gym rat that had all the physical assets to play at a high level for this franchise. Harrison would finish with 80.5 sacks, a Defensive Player of the Year, and two Super Bowl trophies.