The first round of the NFL draft hasn’t been overly kind to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Looking back over the last 10 first-round picks, the Steelers have had a mixed bag of successes, failures and incompletes. Here’s our ranking of the last 10 first-round picks with the note that the Steelers didn’t have a first round pick in 2020.
1 – 2017-T.J. Watt
Watt has been the face of the Steelers defense since he was drafted and is the best pass rusher in franchise history.
2 – 2014 – Ryan Shazier
Shazier’s career was off to a Hall of Fame start before a freak injury cut it short.
3 – 2021-Najee Harris
Harris was steady but not spectacular during his four seasons in Pittsburgh but not enough to stick around for a second contract.
4 – 2018-Terrell Edmunds
The choice of Edmunds got a lot of hate but he started 75 games in six years with the Steelers and was a steady performer.
5 – 2015-Bud Dupree
Hopes were high when Dupree was drafted but after a pair of solid years, he bailed for free agency and his career went straight downhill from there.
6 – 2016-Artie Burns
The pick of Burns was a head scratcher from the beginning and he never panned out as a regular starter in four seasons with the Steelers.
7 – 2019-Devin Bush
The pick of Bush was made so much worse because the Steelers traded up in 2019 to get him. Bush had a solid rookie campaign but was never the same after an injury the following year.
8 – 2023-Broderick Jones
Jones ends up this low because there just isn’t enough on him yet. He was good late in his rookie season but seemed to backslide in year two. This year, he gets a shot at playing left tackle and it’s make-or-break.
9 – 2024-Troy Fautanu
We keep Fautanu this low because while he came into his 2024 rookie season with a lot of hype, a knee injury cost him the entire season. He is in line to start at right tackle this season, and we will get a clearer picture of his potential.
10 – 2022-Kenny Pickett
The selection of pick is far and away the worst first-round pick of the last 10. From the moment he was drafted, most pundits felt like it was a reach and based on how the rest of the quarterback class played out, it looked even worse.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: We rank the Steelers last 10 first-round NFL draft picks
The first round of the NFL draft hasn’t been overly kind to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Looking back over the last 10 first-round picks, the Steelers have had a mixed bag of successes, failures and incompletes. Here’s our ranking of the last 10 first-round picks with the note that the Steelers didn’t have a first round pick in 2020.
1 – 2017-T.J. Watt
Watt has been the face of the Steelers defense since he was drafted and is the best pass rusher in franchise history.
2 – 2014 – Ryan Shazier
Shazier’s career was off to a Hall of Fame start before a freak injury cut it short.
3 – 2021-Najee Harris
Harris was steady but not spectacular during his four seasons in Pittsburgh but not enough to stick around for a second contract.
4 – 2018-Terrell Edmunds
The choice of Edmunds got a lot of hate but he started 75 games in six years with the Steelers and was a steady performer.
5 – 2015-Bud Dupree
Hopes were high when Dupree was drafted but after a pair of solid years, he bailed for free agency and his career went straight downhill from there.
6 – 2016-Artie Burns
The pick of Burns was a head scratcher from the beginning and he never panned out as a regular starter in four seasons with the Steelers.
7 – 2019-Devin Bush
The pick of Bush was made so much worse because the Steelers traded up in 2019 to get him. Bush had a solid rookie campaign but was never the same after an injury the following year.
8 – 2023-Broderick Jones
Jones ends up this low because there just isn’t enough on him yet. He was good late in his rookie season but seemed to backslide in year two. This year, he gets a shot at playing left tackle and it’s make-or-break.
9 – 2024-Troy Fautanu
We keep Fautanu this low because while he came into his 2024 rookie season with a lot of hype, a knee injury cost him the entire season. He is in line to start at right tackle this season, and we will get a clearer picture of his potential.
10 – 2022-Kenny Pickett
The selection of pick is far and away the worst first-round pick of the last 10. From the moment he was drafted, most pundits felt like it was a reach and based on how the rest of the quarterback class played out, it looked even worse.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: We rank the Steelers last 10 first-round NFL draft picks
