5 players the Steelers regret passing on in the draft throughout history

Steelers chose Artie burns over Xavien Howard in the 2016 NFL Draft

Heading into the 2016 NFL Draft, the Steelers really liked William Jackson III. That was their target at cornerback, but the Cincinnati Bengals selected him one pick before they got a chance to. They seemed to scramble at that time and picked Artie Burns with their first-round selection.

Many were shocked by this as Burns did not have a first-round grade on this corner coming out of Miami. He was seen as raw and someone that could have turned into something with time. That never panned out and Burns is regarded as one of the biggest busts in the recent history of the Steelers.

The toughest part about this was the team reached for a need and still did not get any clarity on the cornerback spot. They could have reached for another player in that draft class and got a turnover machine. Xavien Howard was not selected until the second round but should have been in consideration for the Steelers rather than Burns.

Howard has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL since he was drafted by the Dolphins in 2016. The number of interceptions and turnovers that he causes against opposing offenses is something special. This was a bad draft for Pittsburgh, not just Burns, but most of this class didn’t pan out.