When most people think of the Pittsburgh Steelers adding players to their roster, they immediately think of the NFL draft. As draft season remains in full effect, it's hard not to reminisce about what recent draft history looks like for the organization. While the team has transitioned its player acquisition territory to the new age, it still relies on perfect draft classes to boost its depth chart.
Since 2015, the Steelers have gone from general manager Kevin Colbert to his understudy, Omar Khan. Both have shown they can produce talented draft classes over the past decade. Colbert appeared to struggle to command a quality class leading up to his retirement, but he was a respected decision-maker.
Pittsburgh's stuck in the mushy middle, and you can see why with their mixed results in the draft.
Pittsburgh Steelers NFL draft classes were just average over the past decade
Steelers landed a star player, but they struggled beyond that in 2015
The class of 2015 started strong by adding Bud Dupree, who became a solid starter during his time in Pittsburgh. They only landed some borderline starters with Sammie Coates and Jessie James. The rest of the class were depth players or guys who struggled to stick to the roster beyond their rookie season. It wasn't a great group of rookies as a whole.
Other than Javon Hargrave landing in their lap, Pittsburgh had a poor class in 2016
Looking back at the Steelers' draft history, the 2016 class might be the ugliest. Artie Burns and Sean Davis were starters, but they were top-round flops. Javon Hargrave is the monumental piece of this group, but most of his career success came elsewhere. This draft was one of the worst by Colbert during his tenure as the Steelers' general manager.
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Kevin Colbert's draft class full of stars and contributors from 2017 was terrific
While 2016 might've been a flub, Colbert struck gold in the following draft. One of his best classes happened in 2017, and it was his last "good" group of rookies before he eventually retired years later. The Steelers' first four picks in this class became massive contributors to the team, and T.J. Watt remains one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Even Josh Dobbs was a solid pickup in the fourth round.
Pittsburgh landed some average starters in this draft, but nothing to write home about
It was just another average class for Pittsburgh. There was nothing special coming out of this NFL draft crop. They over-drafted Terrell Edmunds and took some players who became borderline starters, as others became role players. It's hard to believe Mason Rudolph is the only player from this draft class who remains on the Steelers roster. It was another average group that didn't help enough.
Diontae Johnson became a star, but the trade up for Devin Bush sunk the class
You must respect Colbert's aggressiveness to trade up for Devin Bush, but it swung back and slapped him across the face. Bush became a flop, creating a poor draft class overall for the Steelers. Outside of landing Diontae Johnson, they only got a few role players to help their football team.
It wasn't a good look for Colbert as his reputation started to get questioned.
Colbert landed a couple of starting players despite not having a first rounder
It's hard to be too critical of the 2020 NFL draft class for Pittsburgh. They didn't have a first-round pick since they traded it for Minkah Fitzpatrick. It was a good trade, and the COVID-19 pandemic made the pre-draft process difficult for everyone. They got one dynamic year out of Chase Claypool and two starting players with Alex Highsmith and Kevin Dotson. Not a bad outcome.
Steelers landed a handful of reliable starters, but none who became star players
While you can't categorize the Steelers' 2021 crop of rookies as anything special, it was a reliable group. They landed three starters out of this class: Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth, and Dan Moore Jr. Pittsburgh also netted some depth players who played varying roles on the depth chart. This group didn't provide anything flashy, but brought stability to different positions.
At least they got George Pickens, but this was an ugly group for Colbert to retire with
Colbert couldn't have retired with a worse draft class. Taking Kenny Pickett in the first round had disaster written all over it. Other than George Pickens and Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh should flush this group down the toilet. They wasted five of their seven picks in this draft.
It will remain an ugly stain on Colbert's successful career.
Omar Khan created a terrific class to start with even though some have plenty left to prove
Khan's first NFL draft produced a respectable group of rookies. While the jury is still out on many of these young players, most have shown glimpses of brilliance. The Steelers wrangled three starters and two role players on their squad. Pittsburgh must see more from Broderick Jones, or he could make this crop of players appear worse than they are.
The jury remains out on the 2024 draft class, but all signs are pointing up
Each player from the 2024 draft class remains on the Steelers roster heading into year two. They still have plenty to prove, but most signs surrounding these rookies remain positive. Troy Fautanu and Roman Wilson were injured, but it seems they have a good group here. It could become one of their best draft classes since 2017.