Pittsburgh Steelers top 10 first-round selections of all time
6. G Alan Faneca (1998)
It took a little time, but the former LSU product finally took his rightful place among the greats in Canton, Ohio, in 2021. Alan Faneca was a first-round pick in 1998. He was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ primary left guard for 10 seasons and missed only two games over that stretch. There would be seven straight Pro Bowl invitations with the club and All-Pro honors six times.
Faneca joined the Jets in 2008 and in two years with that club, he didn’t miss a game and was named to the Pro Bowl twice. His career ended with the Cardinals in 2010, where he started all 16 contests.
5. RB Franco Harris (1972)
He was on the right end of what was voted the greatest play in NFL history. As a rookie in 1972, former Penn State running back Franco Harris helped launch what would prove to be one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history. Harris’ “Immaculate Reception” in the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoffs was the difference in a 13-7 win over the Raiders. The Steelers won four Super Bowls in a six-year span from 1974-79.
Harris was MVP of Super Bowl IX, running for 158 yards and the game’s first TD. He ranks 15th in NFL annals with 12,120 rushing yards. In 12 seasons with the team, the nine-time Pro Bowler totaled 14,234 yards from scrimmage and 100 touchdowns.
4. QB Ben Roethlisberger (2004)
The quarterback class of 2004 has drawn comparisons to a group selected 21 years earlier. In 1983, John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino were three of the six quarterbacks selected in the first round that year. The three are all enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 2004 class includes Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger, the latter chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th overall selection that year.
The 18-year pro ranks fifth in NFL history with 64,008 passing yards while only seven players have thrown more touchdown passes (418). He was at the controls for three Super Bowl appearances, two of which resulted in victory.