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NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history

By Hans Themistode

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass prior to the NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass prior to the NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /
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Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history: Pittsburgh Steelers, QB Ben Roethlisberger

Pick: 2004 NFL Draft, 1st round number 11 overall

Stats:

  • 60,348 passing yards
  • 396 passing touchdowns
  • 64.4 completion percentage

Awards:

  • 6 time Pro Bowler
  • 2 time Super Bowl Champ

For a player as great as Ben Roethlisberger, his career trajectory sure didn’t point to this level of play early on. Much like Russell Wilson, Roethlisberger was asked to simply not mess the game up.

With one of the all-time best defenses year in and year out, the Steelers wanted to rely heavily on them and a run-first attack to win ball games. If a thrown pass was needed, they crossed their fingers and hoped it got completed.

Things worked out perfectly early on as their conservative game planning led to Super Bowl titles in 2006 and 2009. Once their defense began falling apart however and the league began favoring offensive players, they allowed Roethlisberger to let it rip. For years he threw countless touchdowns and thousands upon thousands of yards. In 2018 he set a career-high of 5,129 passing yards at the age of 36.

Even now, two years later, he appears to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. His football mortality is certainly showing but it’ll be a long time until someone passes him for the greatest draft pick in Steelers history.

Roethlisberger’s 60,348 passing yards currently rank seventh all-time and his 396 passing touchdowns have him pegged at eighth. Good luck to anyone who is drafted by this franchise going forward beating those numbers.

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