The Steelers had a very successful draft in 2010 as they got some great talents throughout the seven rounds.
The Pittsburgh Steelers always find ways of adding talent through the draft. They make mistakes sometimes, but there are certain drafts that are special. The 2010 NFL Draft produced some great players that went on to have great careers both with the Steelers and elsewhere in the NFL.
The team was currently trying to stay in contention mode with one of the best defenses in the NFL. They have been getting better on the offensive side of the ball but wanted to get younger and upgrade across the offensive line. They focused on that with their selections, and it paid off nicely for them.
Pittsburgh had ten selections in this draft, which is a lot more than their usual. They used these to the best of their abilities and got five starters out of these picks. Some became consistent starters for this franchise, while others were used in more of a stop-gap role for injuries and such.
Other picks even stepped up and played roles on the team for a handful of seasons. There were some scratch marks on the other luxurious legacy that this crop of rookies will be remembered as. Four of these picks, all in the late rounds, didn’t make it long in the NFL.
It was a great class in 2010 that helped the black and gold get back to the Super Bowl and stay in contention for most of the decade. The franchise made some great observations whenever they went into this event and made good acquisitions. These players helped this club for a long time.
1.18: Maurkice Pouncey, OC, Florida
Maurkice Pouncey came out of the Florida Gators program with high marks by most scouts. Many thought he would go earlier in the first round, but he dropped to pick 18. The Steelers selected him and were very pleased with their pick. They got an athletic center that would anchor their offensive line for years.
This player would go and get injured during his rookie season and that would cause him to miss out on playing in a Super Bowl. He did come back the following season and secure his starting spot for about a decade of winning football. The black and gold were always competitive during his time playing for the Steel City.
This pick was the beginning of a trend that saw highly invested draft picks going towards the offensive line. The defense was starting to get older and the offense started to become the strength of the team over time. Getting younger and investing in an offensive line to protect Ben Roethlisberger was a top priority.
Pouncey became a leader for this offensive line and helped keep stability. He was a constant force on the football field and got recognized for his individual efforts. His game did start to slip during his final two seasons in the league, but he was a great player for Pittsburgh.
2.52: Jason Worilds, EDGE, Virginia Tech
Jason Worilds was seen as a project coming out of college and someone that could take over as a starter after a while. He played behind a great tandem of Lamar Woodley and James Harrison. He was brought along slowly until he finally got a chance at starting for the Steelers.
He got that chance to start in 2013 after James Harrison departed the team and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Worilds played well and held his own as a starter. It was somewhat of a surprise since many were starting to wonder if he would become a bust.
He would retire early and shock the NFL world as many expected him to get paid a lot of money in free agency. He became devoted to the Jehovah’s Witness faith and left the game entirely. It was shocking news at the time as he retired at just 27.
3.82: Emanuel Sanders, WR, SMU
Emanuel Sanders was a great player that was more successful after his days as a Steelers player. He was a solid addition to the receiver group that was getting younger. Mike Wallace and later Antonio Brown got most of the attention and that took away from Sanders.
He was the third option of a surging offense that the black and gold really hadn’t seen before. Sanders would leave the team and join the Denver Broncos. He won a Super Bowl there and is still in the league.
4.116: Thaddeus Gibson, DE, Ohio State
Thaddeus Gibson is the first pick in this draft that really didn’t make much of an impact on this team. He wouldn’t even stay on the Steelers for the entirety of 2010 and would bounce from team to team after.
He made a couple of practice squads and had some short stints on a couple of rosters. The last chance for him came in 2015 in the Canadian league before he was out of the game.
5.151: Chris Scott, OG, Tennessee
Chris Scott was another player that didn’t pan out too well for the black and gold. He would go on to start a few games in his career, but he became a journeyman for the most part. Scott did stick around the NFL for a while, his most recent stint was in 2018 with the New York Giants. He was mostly a backup guard, but he didn’t do much for Pittsburgh during his two years here.
5.164: Crezdon Butler, DB, Clemson
Crezdon Butler is a player that didn’t work out in the NFL in a sense, but he is a great story of keeping a professional career going after. He only lasted with the Steelers for two years before he started to go from team to team.
He continued to make rosters before he was out of the NFL by 2016. He has since been in the Canadian league where he currently still plays. He is employed by the Toronto Argonauts.
5.166: Stevenson Sylvester, LB, Utah
Stevenson Sylvester was a solid contributor to the special teams unit of the Steelers during his time here. He only started a couple of games with the team during his short career. It was not the best selection, but he did play on some deep rosters that took away some opportunities from him.
He would get one last shot with the Buffalo Bills before his career ended. The fifth-round pick is not expected to turn into much and unfortunately for this player, his career didn’t amount to anything. He got a taste of the NFL before it was over before it even started.
6.188: Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
Jonathan Dwyer was selected in the sixth round, and he was a starter for this team from time to time. The Steelers had been struggling to find a replacement for Willie Parker ever since he departed the team. They didn’t address that need early, but this player would become a tandem with Issac Redman.
This player would go on to become a backup at running back for the most part besides starting a handful of games. Despite getting few opportunities to start, he still put up respectable numbers as a backup in the NFL. He would sign with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency but would quickly be out of the league after a domestic violence incident.
6.195: Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan
Antonio Brown has been one of the best value draft picks in NFL history. Not much was expected from this player coming out of Central Michigan. The black and gold had hope that he could at least stick with the team as a return man and have Mike Wallace, Emanuel Sanders, and Hines Ward be the main trio on offense.
This receiver had other plans and he outworked everyone in the league to become one of the best players to ever play his position. He had a Hall of Fame level career during his time in Pittsburgh, despite never winning a Super Bowl with the club. He did defame his own status in the NFL after having many off-the-field incidents.
He would go onto the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots for some short stints and was out of the league for a little. Brown would then be signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and win a Super Bowl there before he quit on that team the following season. This player had Hall of Fame potential before he got in the way of his own ego.
7.242: Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State
Doug Worthington was a seventh-round selection that the team had hopes of sticking on the roster in a depth role. He only lasted with the Steelers for a few months before he joined another team because of his release. He would bounce around the NFL for the next five years before an injury ended his career for good.
The Steelers had a great draft class in 2010. It was one of the better draft classes in team history that fans got to enjoy for a while.