5 biggest trade mistakes for the Steelers in franchise history
Steelers trade up in the fourth round to pick Shamarko Thomas
Shamarko Thomas was a player that the Steelers overvalued when he was taken in the fourth round of the draft. That was not an overdraft, but the team saw him as a successor to recently departed, Ryan Clark. Troy Polamalu was getting older, and the club thought that Thomas could make the transition period less hurtful.
That thought process did not pan out well for the franchise as things progressed through this player’s stint with the club. In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Steelers decided to make a trade-up to select this player that they thought would be a starting safety in the NFL. Not only did they give up a third-round pick the following year to draft this player, but they made the deal with a rival.
The Cleveland Browns moved back and got an extra third-round selection in the following year’s draft a player that barely started for Pittsburgh. That was a wise move by the Browns, and something the Steelers probably regret doing. They invested too much into his potential and that never developed out of this prospect.
Thomas would only last in the NFL for about five years, which included three in the Steel City. He would bounce around from a couple of NFL teams before his career in the league was over. He has been trying to stay in the football life by playing in the Canadian league and sticking his nose into the XFL.
Must Read. 15 best running backs in Steelers history. light
The Steelers made all of these moves with hopes of it making them a better football team. They are normally more right than wrong, but they made bad trades with these.