It's in the longest stretches without any meaningful football action that we have time to ponder the past. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some terrific draft classes over the past two decades, which have led to the team's impressive success during this stretch.
But one draft class, destined for stardom, never even had a chance to reach its potential before a series of unfortunate events hit.
The Steelers' 2014 class included nine draft choices. And while most proved to be non-factors to the team's success, a trio of remarkably talented players could have been the cornerstones of a generation in Pittsburgh: Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt, and Martavis Bryant.
Unfortunately, all three star talents were out of the league before they even had a chance to climb to the top of the NFL in their respective positions.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2014 draft class should have been special before everything unraveled
Ryan Shazier suffered career-ending injury at age 25
Everyone is familiar with the tragic end to Ryan Shazier's NFL career. The Steelers' 2014 first-round pick out of Ohio State was everything former general manager Kevin Colbert and former head coach Mike Tomlin could have dreamed of at the linebacker position.
With a rocked-up frame, Shazier possessed blazing 4.38 speed to go with unmatched athletic testing (a 42'' vertical, 10'10'' broad jump, and 6.91 3-cone). Shazier combined his elite athletic traits with fantastic football instincts and feel for the game. This quickly led him to become one of the best splash playmakers in the NFL.
After becoming a full-time starter in his second NFL season in 2015, Shazier would combine for seven interceptions, 24 pass defenses, seven forced fumbles, seven sacks, three fumble recoveries, and 22 tackles for a loss over just 37 games.
But that's when Shazier's life changed dramatically.
Shazier suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury on December 4, 2017. He celebrated his 25th birthday just three months before what would ultimately be his final game in the NFL. Shazier earned back-to-back Pro Bowl honors in 2016 and 2017 despite never playing more than 13 games in a season. He was likely on his way to perennial All-Pro status before his career ended way too soon.
Stephon Tuitt played his final NFL snaps at age 27
For my money, Stephon Tuitt is one of the most underrated players in the Steelers' franchise history... and that's even considering how early his NFL career ended.
Tuitt was just 20 years old when the Steelers selected the big, explosive defensive lineman out of Notre Dame. At 6'5'' and 304 pounds with nearly 35'' arms, Tuitt put up 31 reps on the bench press at the 2014 NFL Combine before being selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Though Tuitt played a part-time role as a rookie behind Cameron Heyward, Brett Keisel, and Cam Thomas, he became a full-time starter in Year 2 in 2015, recording 54 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, and an interception in just 14 games as a 22-year-old.
Though Tuitt was often bitten by the injury bug, his best season came in 2020. After suffering a season-ending injury one year earlier, Tuitt racked up 45 tackles, 11 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, and 25 quarterback hits in 15 games in 2020.
Sadly, injuries and the tragic loss of his younger brother—who was killed in a hit-and-run crash—took a toll on Tuitt.
Tuitt didn't officially retire until 2022, but his final NFL snaps came during the 2020 season at just 27 years old. This is younger than Cam Heyward was when he earned his first NFL Pro Bowl, en route to a Hall of Fame-level career.
Defensive linemen—especially those who are long and strong like Tuitt—age remarkably well in the NFL. Tuitt was playing his best football and was on track to be a Pro Bowl defender, but he decided to hang up his cleats before ever hitting his prime. He and Heyward could have made the most lethal interior defender pairing in the NFL for years.
Martavis Bryant self-sabotaged his Steelers career by age 24
Steelers fans had a hard time containing their frustration with Martavis Bryant during his NFL playing days. Bryant was way too talented to fall to the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but character concerns caused him to slip.
Bryant faced on-field disciplinary action before even coming to the Steelers. He missed the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl for failing to meet academic requirements, while maturity was a concern.
Bryant's first-ever NFL catch was a 35-yard touchdown... and he quickly took the football world by storm. Over his first 19 games with the Steelers (just seven starts), Bryant dazzled football fans by recording 1,019 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 19.6 yards per reception.
But his career quickly spiraled.
In 2015, Bryant served a four-game suspension due to multiple failed marijuana tests. Then, in 2016, the talented wide receiver served a season-long ban without pay for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
By 2018, the Steelers effectively ended the Martavis Bryant experiment when they traded the elite deep threat to the Raiders on April 26, during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, in exchange for a third-round pick. Bryant would play just eight more games in 2018 before never taking the stage for an NFL game again.
At nearly 6'4'' and 211 pounds with elite long-speed and explosion, Bryant had an exceptionally rare skill set. Sadly, he self-sabotaged his Steelers career by age 24 during the 2016 offseason and played his final snaps in Pittsburgh at age 26.
In the end, a career-ending injury, an unexpected early retirement, and a suspension-riddled career kept the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2014 draft class from becoming truly special.
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