7 Greatest Pittsburgh Steelers players of the 21st century
By Adam Patrick
7. Le’Veon Bell – RB
A second-round pick by the Steelers in the 2013 NFL Draft, Le’Veon Bell is easily the greatest running back to play for Pittsburgh in the 21st century.
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Hall of Famer and former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis had some impressive seasons during his career. But the majority of his top performances came prior to 2000, which is why Bell gets the nod over him on this list.
Despite only playing with the team for four and a half years, Bell was able to rack up the most total yards from scrimmage of any Pittsburgh running back in the 21st century and the third-most among rushers in franchise history
In 62 games, he rushed for 5,336 yards, hauled in a total of 312 passes for 2,660 yards, and scored a total of 42 touchdowns. From 2013-17, Antonio Brown was the only Steelers player to make more trips to the end zone (55) than Bell.
During his five seasons with Pittsburgh, the young running back was voted to three Pro Bowls and he earned two First-Team All-Pro selections. Unfortunately, Bell and the Steelers couldn’t agree to a new contract in 2018 and he is now a member of the New York Jets.