The Steelers have had mixed results with their first-round picks of the past decade, let’s take some time to grade them.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the more consistent franchises in the NFL, especially since the 1970s. They have found ways of finding talent in the draft and developing their own talent. That mindset is continued today, and the success of the draft class will kind of dictate how the team does on the field.
There have been many great talent evaluators that called Pittsburgh home. There have been many great diamonds in the rough found late in the draft that have gone on to have great careers in the league. Great value happens after the first round all the time, but those first-round picks always get the most attention.
Those that get selected by the black and gold on night one of the event have a ton of pressure on them as soon as they hear their name called. Fans immediately expect this player to come in and be an immediate impact player on day one. That is not a crazy expectation as first-round picks should be a starter for your team for the next decade or so, depending on how long their career turns out.
First-round picks are starting to become more tradable in today’s NFL over the past couple of years. That was almost unthinkable before that, and the Steelers still try their best to stick with their winning formula. Keep your pick and wait your turn to select a player on that first night.
It has been a mixed bag as far as results go for Pittsburgh over the last decade of the draft. From 2012 to 2022, these players have gotten a lot of attention during their playing days. Some were deemed as busts while others went on to have great careers and were tremendous values.