The Pittsburgh Steelers have been lucky enough to have many of the NFL's greatest players suit up for them over the nearly 100 years of their existence as a franchise. Fans have debated who the best players from each team, position, and era for as long as the sport has existed, and Steelers fans are no different.
What isn't talked about nearly as much, however, is who the NFL's best players are from each part of the country. Sure, there are the football hotbeds like California, Texas, and Florida that get plenty of love, but what about states like Montana, Wyoming, or Rhode Island?
Nick Villano over at FanSided.com took on the task of picking the best NFL player from each state, and the Steelers were represented by two of the best to ever wear black and gold: Franco Harris (New Jersey) and Rod Woodson (Indiana).
Pittsburgh Steelers legends Rod Woodson and Franco Harris named the best player from their respective states
Let's start with the late great Franco Harris, who is far and away the best NFL player to come out of New Jersey. Just take a look at the names Villano chose to mention aside from the legendary Steelers back.
"New Jersey is the greatest state in the United States. Just ask anyone from New Jersey. Ironically, they don’t have the best football players. There are plenty of champions, like Jim McMahon, Victor Cruz and John Taylor. Joe Flacco is from right outside Philadelphia on the Jersey side, and he became a legend in Baltimore."
Yikes. No offense to any of those players (except Flacco, I am still not over Week 7 last year, Joe), but Harris dwarfs them both in accolades and on-field production. He was one of the best players to suit up for Pittsburgh, and he is the right pick here.
Moving on to Rod Woodson, he had some stiffer competition from his Indiana natives. Hall of Famers Bob Griese and Emlen Tunnell are worthy choices in their own right, but Woodson is in the conversation for the best defensive back in NFL history. Six first-team All-Pro selections, 11 Pro Bowls, a Defensive Player of the Year award in 1993, and 71 career interceptions make him one of the most decorated players in league history.
Sure, he didn't finish his career in Pittsburgh, but he earned most of those accolades while donning the black and gold. Aside from a nauseating four-season run with Baltimore late in his career, Steelers fans remember Woodson fondly, and he was absolutely the right pick for the state of Indiana.
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