The Steelers do not make draft-day trades a normal course of business, but when we do, it usually works out in our favor
For clarity’s sake, when I say the modern era, I am referring to the Super Bowl era. While I am sure we made draft-day trades prior to the modern era, for purposes of this discussion, I will use my forty-four years of being a Steelers fan as a reference when discussing draft-day trades.
With the draft right around the corner, there is, what I believe, a prevailing thought that we may trade up to select a QB despite the fact that we recently signed Mitch Trubisky. That possibility got me thinking about our best and worst draft-day trades.
When we traded up in the first round of the 2019 draft to select Devin Bush, we went from pick twenty to pick ten. At the time, I thought we gave up a bit too much. Only time will tell whether or not that was a good trade. I certainly hope it will be remembered with fondness and not with derision.
Let’s start with what I believe is the worst trade of the modern era.
The Steelers traded with a division rival to draft a safety who started two games in his Steelers career
When we traded for Shamarko Thomas during the 2013 draft, I could not understand why we would trade a future third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to draft a player in the fourth round. My next thought was this: Maybe we know something that other teams do not know.
Thomas played four seasons, started two games, had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and was on the field for two-hundred and seventeen defensive snaps during his Steelers career. No offense intended, but that is about as lackluster as you can get.
On the flip side, we made what would become a draft-day trade for the history books. During the 2003 NFL draft, the Steelers traded up with the Kansas City Chiefs to select Troy Polamalu. No words really can convey the impact Polamalu had on the Steelers during his twelve-year career.
Having watched the Steelers play for forty-four years or so and having watched the other great safeties play, I can honestly say that Polamalu was just ‘otherwordly’ at times. He played instinctual and inspired football and was a generational talent.
We were fortunate to have had him for as long as we did and he was certainly deserving of being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Polamalu joined several other former Steelers players who had already secured a place in Canton, Ohio.
The draft-day trade in 1996 with the then St. Louis Rams, now the Los Angeles Rams, would bring us a player who ignited our running attack en route to a Hall of Fame career. When we traded for Jerome Bettis, I was elated.
Bettis was a big, bruising running back whom I believed would put us over the top and bring us another Lombardi Trophy. For an offense that was still very much a ‘ground and pound’ style of offense, Bettis was a perfect fit.
His Hall of Fame career culminated in a victory in Super Bowl XL. Bettis retired on stage. What a fitting end to a great career. For me, the draft-day trade that brought ‘The Bus’ to the Steelers is still the greatest trade of the modern era.