After the 2022 draft, the Steelers fleshed out their roster, addressing other positions with ten additional undrafted free agents.
On average, many, if not most, of the undrafted free agents have a short NFL career, only playing a few seasons or spending most of their time in the NFL on a practice squad. However, numerous players have been overlooked in the draft over the years, only to be signed afterward and turned into surprisingly great players.
The Dallas Cowboys seemingly have found numerous undrafted free agents over the years, such as Cliff Harris safety, Cornell Green defensive back, Tony Romo quarterback, Nate Newton offensive lineman, Brian Waters, offensive lineman, Dave Grayson defensive back, and Drew Pearson wide receiver.
Then you have some of the other greats Dick “Night Train” Lane, who was signed by the Rams and then played for the Cardinals and then the Lions. The Patriots found Wes Welker, Miami found a gem with offensive lineman Larry Little, Washington discovered offensive tackle Joe Jacoby and the Chargers got a premier tight end with Antonio Gates.
It only shows that teams overlook a few players in error during the draft regardless of how poor a player may have looked on game film or performed at his pro-day. Like all NFL teams, even the Steelers have found their fair share of college players not selected in the draft and signing them after having had amazing careers and helped lead the Steelers to Superbowl victories.
This list chronicles the top five undrafted free agents the Steelers have signed in their team’s history.