8 most disappointing trades in Pittsburgh Steelers history
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers trade up for Shamarko Thomas
Towards the end of Troy Polamalu’s NFL career, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted strong safety, Shamarko Thomas. Short and muscular, many compared Thomas’ play style to the legendary safety. In college, Thomas would dart around the field like a bullet and deliver a power blow on impact.
Unfortunately, this was a losing proposition that he would not be able to measure up to. While nobody thought he was going to be on par with Polamalu as a player, many thought Shamarko Thomas could come in and give their defense a boost after an aging Polamalu retired in 2014.
That was not the case at all. Not only was Thomas inconsistent and unreliable, but he only earned 2 starts in 4 years with the Steelers. During this time, Thomas never recorded an interception or a sack, and had just two tackles for a loss in 48 games in Pittsburgh.
Kevin Colbert traded his 2014 third-round pick to move back into the 2013 draft and grab Shamarko Thomas, but he fell remarkably short of living up to lofty expectations.