The Steelers roster is certainly talented, but as of now, these five drafted players are all trending towards the bust category.
The Steelers have a long history of drafting good players to build their roster as opposed to finding free agents. The reason this team has been so successful for so long is because of this method. That said, they have missed on players before, and there are some on the roster already looking like busts.
While not there yet, these five Steelers are getting dangerously close to being labeled as busts.
Steelers Pressley Harvin
Is it fair to label a seventh-round punter a draft bust? I certainly think so, as investing any sort of draft capital into a special teams’ players usually signals that you expect this player to be good. Pressley Harvin hasn’t been bad at all times, but he has been wildly inconsistent. For every stellar punt he has had (and he has had quite a few), he has usually had two or three shanks that have cost the team field position.
For a few weeks, former undrafted rookie Corliss Waitman was pushing Harvin for his job. The team clearly still favors their draft investment, as Waitman was eventually cut, but it wasn’t a great look to see Harvin look so bad compared to Waitman.
The fact that a drafted punter has struggled so early is making him an early bust candidate. I expect him to be brought to camp, but anything beyond that is not a lock. If he can’t become the Steelers starting punter and do an ok job, then he was a wasted draft pick.
Steelers Anthony McFarland
Like Harvin, labeling a fourth-round running back a bust is a bit of a stretch. That said, the Steelers have gotten almost nothing out of Anthony McFarland, and at this point, he spends most of his weeks as a healthy inactive. The problem with him is that he is only a running back. While he could serve as a returner, he isn’t better than Ray-Ray McCloud and he has no value as a gunner.
This has left him without a role, as the team is obviously giving most of their offensive touches to Najee Harris. That means a backup running back will have to earn a helmet by being on the coverage unit for special teams. The Steelers seemingly wanted to utilize the former fourth-round pick, but an early injury really set him back.
While some may also point to Benny Snell as a similar case, he has at least been a core special teams player. While his offensive talent has left a lot to be desired, he has been a regular special teams’ stud. McFarland has contributed next to nothing since being drafted. The team needs a compliment to Harris, but at this point, it doesn’t seem like it will be McFarland taking on that role.
Steelers Devin Bush
Of all of the names on this list, Devin Bush may have been the most expected and the most disappointing. Drafted to be the athletic replacement to Ryan Shazier, his first season and a half made it look like he could fill that role. An injury caused him to lose the rest of his sophomore season, and he hasn’t looked like the same player since. This season was a trainwreck for Bush, and many are questioning if he will be on the roster next year, let alone start.
It would be one thing if the Steelers had just drafted Bush in the first round and he wasn’t panning out. Instead, the team made a rare trade up into the top ten to secure his services, giving up a second and third-round pick in the process. With his play being as bad as it has been this season, it is clear that the team was the losers of this trade. He hasn’t been worth the first-round pick. Add in the traded assets and this deal was horrible for the team.
While some point to his injury as a reason to expect a better fourth season from Bush, it doesn’t seem like his knee is the issue. He is still flashing the same speed and athleticism that he showed off as a rookie. The issue is his processing, as he can’t read plays at all and struggles to shed blocks. His ineffectiveness and high cost to obtain has put Bush incredibly close to being a bust. Frankly, I’m not sure he will be able to turn this around next season.
Steelers Kendrick Green
While I am completely on board with the idea of giving draft picks a few seasons to develop, there is no question that Kendrick Green is already incredibly close to being a draft bust for the Steelers. Drafted in the third round of this past draft, Green was seemingly hand-selected by the team to be their next great center, as they passed over superior prospects like Quinn Meinerz and Creed Humphrey to take Green.
The results have been close to a disaster. While Green has shown off his athleticism and power on occasion, more often than not he is completely blown out of the play or has been taken to the ground. His size was always going to be an issue, but his technique has been putrid. His snapping has been wildly inconsistent on top of all of this. He has easily been the worst starter on a mediocre offensive line.
Now, the talk has all shifted to Green moving back to guard as his center play has been that bad. For anyone thinking that will fix his issues, be prepared to be disappointed. Unless he cleans up his technique and figures out how to overcome his size, he won’t succeed there either. While the team can and should give him some of next season to prove that he can develop, the early signs are pointing to Green being a bust.
Steelers Chase Claypool
Of all of the names on this list, Chase Claypool has been the most consistent player. That said, he also arguably had the highest expectations of the players mentioned and has failed to live up to them. He took the league by storm as a rookie, scoring from all over the field and being a genuine threat with the ball in his hands. Most expected his numbers, except his scoring perhaps, to jump as a sophomore.
They didn’t, as Claypool had a frustratingly inconsistent season. While part of that was due to his quarterback play not favoring the deep ball (where he is best suited to win), he deserves plenty of the blame as well. He would completely disappear from games, as his effort on routes and as a blocker would disappear. Add in his childish antics, and the team seemingly had a problem on their hands.
Claypool has cleaned up most of those issues, as he has been a more consistent effort guy over the past few weeks and has been more complimentary of his teammates, but his play is still an issue. His touchdowns did regress (albeit that was to be expected) but he failed to make a jump with his receiving yards (he had 13 fewer yards this season despite playing more). While Diontae Johnson showed that any receiver can overcome inconsistencies, Claypool has a lot of work ahead of him. If he wants to be more than an average receiver, he needs to put in a lot of work this offseason. If not, he may fade and wind up as a bust.
While all five of these names still have time to improve and develop, right now things don’t look good for them. Some flashed, others didn’t, but right now each of these players have a lot of questions to answer. If they can’t, they may find themselves as official busts sooner rather than later.