Pittsburgh Steelers: 10 Best draft picks under Kevin Colbert

Notable Omissions

The 2017 draft class deserves an honorable mention because it has already produced three Pro Bowlers. While I can’t justify including players only entering their third seasons on the official list, the 2017 class is set to play a major role moving forward.

With Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown leaving, James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster will step up and fill the roles of their former mentors. The 2017 class also produced T.J. Watt, who has finally given he Steelers another threatening outside linebacker. The future is bright for these three young stars.

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Ryans Shazier also deserves a nod. Shazier’s career was cut short by a serious spine injury that could have paralyzed him. He was on pace to be a First Team All-Pro in 2017 before the injury occurred. Luckily, Shazier has recovered well and has gotten a lot of his mobility back. Unfortunately, it looks like his football career is over and we’ll never get to see the heights the ultra-athletic linebacker could have reached.

Two more linebackers deserve honorable mentions. Lawrence Timmons (15th overall) and LaMarr Woodley (46th overall) were both drafted in 2007. Both made one Pro Bowl, were named Second Team All-Pros once and won a Super Bowl with the Steelers. Injuries limited Woodley’s prime to three or four seasons while Timmons spent a decade in Pittsburgh before the team moved on to younger, more athletic options.

The best seventh-round pick under Colbert was easily Brett Keisel. The famously bearded defensive end was never a sack machine, but he found other ways to contribute.

The two-time Super Bowl champion spent his entire 13-year career with the Steelers. During that time, he made a Pro Bowl and became one of the most beloved local legends. While he didn’t record a sack until his fourth year in the league and wasn’t a starter until his fifth, he’s worth mentioning here.

The final honorable mention arguably deserves a place on the list simply because of his accomplishments during his short time in Pittsburgh. Santonio Holmes was taken with the 25th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

He only spent four years with the team and produced just one 1,000-yard season, but he was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII and authored one of the greatest catches in NFL history. Holmes finished the game with nine receptions, 131 receiving yards, and a touchdown.