They say it takes 5 years before you can evaluate a draft.

[sick beats]

Fine. Let's evaluate the Steelers' 2009 draft then.

1. Hood. Gone without ever having a notable season, not to mention, game. Was able to start but did nothing out there. Players taken after that pick: Delmas, James Laurinaitis, Jairus Byrd. A horrid pick, in yet another case of drafting someone out of position with the intent in teaching him a new position (3-4 DE). Off team.

3. Urbik. Cut in camp. Off team.

3. Mike Wallace. Initially looked like a steal, but head issues and refusal to put in effort on anything but go routes soiled his value. Player taken after: Ladarius Webb, Jared Cook. Off team.

4. Keenan Lewis. Off team after just 1 year of actually playing. Off team.

5. Burnett. Never did anything. Off team.

5. Summers. Off team. Never did anything.

6. Harris. Did nothing. Off team.

7. Shipley. Never did anything. Off team.

7. David Johnson. Played, but most feel he stunk. Off team.

An entire draft class, and not one player remains on the team. That was a colossal cluster F. You can say other teams have no one left from the 2009 draft class, and you are right. That would be the Browns and Jags. More drafts like this, and we will find ourselves where those teams are as well.

[D Rock]

To be fair...of the 5 guys you list as "players taken after the Steelers picked"...


3 are no longer with the team that drafted them. How great do the draft classes of those teams look now?

[steelblood]

Wasn't Shipley a starting center last year. That would make 5-6 NFL starters from that draft. That is actually pretty good. Maybe we should be blaming coaching and not talent evaluators/FO.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Looks like a good draft where guys simply weren't retained... That's budgeting. Wallace, Keenan... We ALL wanted those guys around--maybe not necessarily at the salaries they got...

Wtf happened with Ubrik, anyway. Who cuts a draft pick that high so quickly? Was he a cancer? Get busted for drugs? Do Tomlin's wife? He was quickly picked up and has been a steady/solid starter for years.

[thor75]

Looks like a good draft where guys simply weren't retained... That's budgeting. Wallace, Keenan... We ALL wanted those guys around--maybe not necessarily at the salaries they got...

Wtf happened with Ubrik, anyway. Who cuts a draft pick that high so quickly? Was he a cancer? Get busted for drugs? Do Tomlin's wife? He was quickly picked up and has been a steady/solid starter for years.

IIRC he wasn't cut in camp the same year he was drafted as sick beats makes it sound. He was cut the next year. He was with the Steelers for one season. Offensive coaches must not have liked what they saw in practice??? Don't remember him playing in other than preseason.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

IIRC he wasn't cut in camp the same year he was drafted as sick beats makes it sound. He was cut the next year. He was with the Steelers for one season. Offensive coaches must not have liked what they saw in practice??? Don't remember him playing in other than preseason.
You are correct, I remember it the same... Still, Limas had like 3 or 4 seasons. This dude had one.

[NJ-STEELER]

with his production as a 3rd round pick, wallace was a draft pick steal.

deciding not to keep him is different then being a bust pick.



what about ramon fostr. was he signed as an UDFA that year? add him to the list. he beat out urbrik

[Shoe]

It wasn't a failure of talent evaluation... Hood, yes. But Urbik is a starting NFL Guard currently. Wallace, as NJ-Steeler says, is a 3rd-round steal. Keenan Lewis would also have to stand out as probably the best 4th rounder that year. As said, Foster has become an NFL Starting Guard, and I think I seen Tank Summers on the field this past season.

The failure here, is in the FO, failing to keep its ammo dry--to be able to keep more of these guys in Steeler uniforms.

[NJ-STEELER]

yeah, i'd rate lewis as a draft steal too (think he was the last 3rd rder that year) being what he is today.


had he got on the field as soon as wallace, we may have seen it even sooner

[SS Laser]

Not sure qualifies as a good or really good draft but take a look back to 2003. Yea that is long time but dang there are some stinker looking drafts for the Steelers. 2 really good players from 2003, 2 in 04, 1 good 3 that did play some for 05, 2 in 06 I guess :), 3 good players and 2 role players maybe in 07, 08 is a goose egg I think, now 2009 wow I say some NFL players but none a Steeler now is not good when a team is built through the draft. Guess that is what FA is for.

[Ghost]

If you combine '08 with '09 you have consecutive years with less than stellar drafts. '08 was horrendous - Mendenhall (at least got some productive seasons out of him), Sweed (total bust), Davis (huge reach and a total bust), Hills (never developed and spent most of his time inactive), Dixon (inconsistent at best), Humpal (injured but was ST only even if healthy) and then Mundy (solid late choice who's developed). This '08 draft was a killer.

[SidSmythe]

Most of those players had significant playing time in the NFL. No one's great but some solid players on that list. Urbik and Summers are both playing for the Bills and doing well.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

If you combine '08 with '09 you have consecutive years with less than stellar drafts. '08 was horrendous - Mendenhall (at least got some productive seasons out of him), Sweed (total bust), Davis (huge reach and a total bust), Hills (never developed and spent most of his time inactive), Dixon (inconsistent at best), Humpal (injured but was ST only even if healthy) and then Mundy (solid late choice who's developed). This '08 draft was a killer.
Recapping that '08 draft, while they were not MY guys, the team has never done a better job of filling fan mocks than THAT year.

We needed an RB and got Mendenhall, arguably the top back in the draft. Most thought he was the best.
We needed a WR and got Limas, STUD at Texas.
Before his injury, Dennis Dixon was one of the leaders for the Heisman that year and his team (with him and Jonathan Stewart) were contenders for national championship.
We may not have known Davis, but, such is the case with a lot of our OLB converts before-hand. I was willing to wait.

I have never come away from a draft more satisfied on draft day. Though I preferred Ray Rice, Cliff Avril, I admit I would have taken Dixon and Sweed.

[Sugar]

Recapping that '08 draft, while they were not MY guys, the team has never done a better job of filling fan mocks than THAT year.

We needed an RB and got Mendenhall, arguably the top back in the draft. Most thought he was the best.
We needed a WR and got Limas, STUD at Texas.
Before his injury, Dennis Dixon was one of the leaders for the Heisman that year and his team (with him and Jonathan Stewart) were contenders for national championship.
We may not have known Davis, but, such is the case with a lot of our OLB converts before-hand. I was willing to wait.

I have never come away from a draft more satisfied on draft day. Though I preferred Ray Rice, Cliff Avril, I admit I would have taken Dixon and Sweed.

As I recall, there were a whole lot of people stoked after that draft. Mendy and Sweed were considered nothing less than steals at the time. Heck, somebody was even posting about how Mendy was better at that moment than Willie Parker.

[ramblinjim]

Count me as one of those that was stoked about that draft. I thought Mendenhall and Sweed were going to be 10 year studs on our team. I remember people mocking Sweed in the 1st and Mendy as a top 10 pick. I couldn't believe we got both of those guys. Man, was I wrong.

[K Train]

Count me as one of those that was stoked about that draft. I thought Mendenhall and Sweed were going to be 10 year studs on our team. I remember people mocking Sweed in the 1st and Mendy as a top 10 pick. I couldn't believe we got both of those guys. Man, was I wrong.
I thought it was amazing.


Keep in mind im pretty sure they were targeting Mike Jenkins or Kentwan Balmer with that first pick, so it was a dodged bullet because mendenhall was actually a productive NFL player

[SteelerOfDeVille]

I thought it was amazing.


Keep in mind im pretty sure they were targeting Mike Jenkins or Kentwan Balmer with that first pick, so it was a dodged bullet because mendenhall was actually a productive NFL player
With Mendy being "the top guy", I fully expected him to be gone and to have Jonathan Stewart there -- and to pass on him. That woulda killed me, too - I thought *he* was the top back with Mendy 3rd (behind Rice, 2nd).

[sick beats]

To be fair...of the 5 guys you list as "players taken after the Steelers picked"...


3 are no longer with the team that drafted them. How great do the draft classes of those teams look now?

OK, then ignore the other picks completely. Now what? Do you now think the 2009 draft class was decent? OK? It was a train wreck. A complete waste. Garbage. No matter how you slice it, they crapped their pants in 2009 and it's hurting us right now.

[sick beats]

with his production as a 3rd round pick, wallace was a draft pick steal.

deciding not to keep him is different then being a bust pick.


what about ramon fostr. was he signed as an UDFA that year? add him to the list. he beat out urbrik

Being undrafted, Foster can't be included in the 2009 draft class discussion. I was specifically posting on the 2009 draft class, and how crappy it was.

[steelz09]

OK, then ignore the other picks completely. Now what? Do you now think the 2009 draft class was decent? OK? It was a train wreck. A complete waste. Garbage. No matter how you slice it, they crapped their pants in 2009 and it's hurting us right now.

Agreed... There is no reason to try to make excuses to "try" to make things look better than what they are.

The draft sucked.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Being undrafted, Foster can't be included in the 2009 draft class discussion. I was specifically posting on the 2009 draft class, and how crappy it was.
Funny... Donnie Shell is included in the '74 class.

[sick beats]

Funny... Donnie Shell is included in the '74 class.

Says who? I don't see him listed any where for the 1974 Steelers' draft.

http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/draft/1974

[Slapstick]

Says who? I don't see him listed any where for the 1974 Steelers' draft.

http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/draft/1974

Depends upon who you ask:

http://www.listology.com/podizz/list/top-11-team-draft-classes-nfl-history




74 Steelers- Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, Johnny Stallworth, Mike Webster, Donnie Shell

[sick beats]

Depends upon who you ask:

http://www.listology.com/podizz/list/top-11-team-draft-classes-nfl-history

So, this random website listed Shell erroneously. They are wrong. He wasn't in the draft class. He wasn't drafted, hence can not me factually listed in the draft class. He was signed as a free agent. Not drafted. They can also tell us that water is made of fairy tears but it doesn't make it true.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Often, when they talk about the greatest class of all-time, he IS included. NFL Network included him. Just sayin

[NorthCoast]

If you combine '08 with '09 you have consecutive years with less than stellar drafts. '08 was horrendous - Mendenhall (at least got some productive seasons out of him), Sweed (total bust), Davis (huge reach and a total bust), Hills (never developed and spent most of his time inactive), Dixon (inconsistent at best), Humpal (injured but was ST only even if healthy) and then Mundy (solid late choice who's developed). This '08 draft was a killer.


I agree.

But it wasn't just the Steelers missing in '08. Check out the rest of the league's picks, a lot of them faired about as well. Tells me it was just a poor talent year. Unlike this year's draft which is reported to be deepest in 30 yrs. If the Steelers miss this year, then we have very good cause to be concerned that something needs to be done in the org.

[birtikidis]

Shell would be added in the 74 draft because he was a draft eligible rookie. Free Agents are still considered draft eligible and fall in the draft class that they were originally signed in.

[Slapstick]

So, this random website listed Shell erroneously. They are wrong. He wasn't in the draft class. He wasn't drafted, hence can not me factually listed in the draft class. He was signed as a free agent. Not drafted. They can also tell us that water is made of fairy tears but it doesn't make it true.

The website you listed is "footballdb"...I don't know Patrick Gilligan...why is he any more credible than any other random website?

[Slapstick]

Often, when they talk about the greatest class of all-time, he IS included. NFL Network included him. Just sayin

So, we should just trust some random football TV network? Did they happen to mention fairy tears?

[sick beats]

The correct way to list it, would be that 1974 draft was one of the best ever, PLUS they added Shell as a undrafted rookie free agent. I don't really care.