Best recent drafts/Worst recent drafts

[Oviedo]

With the draft just a few days away, what are the drafts of the Tomlin/Colbert era that were the best and then the most underwhelming?

[RuthlessBurgher]

The worst is obviously 2008. Mendenhall, Sweed, Davis, Hills, Dixon, Humpal, Mundy. The guy with the best NFL career is the guy we took last.

The best may have been the year before that, 2007, which was Colbert & Tomlin's first year together. Timmons, Woodley, Spaeth, and Gay all had solid NFL careers. I think Sepulveda could have been good if his ACL's weren't made of spaghetti.

If Bryant gets his head screwed on straight, then 2014 could give 2007 a run for its money, since Shazier and Tuitt both look like excellent picks, Bryant appeared to be another excellent pick before he starting skipping his mandatory drug tests like an idiot, and even though McCullers has yet to break out, he is scheduled to start this year, which is pretty good for a late 6th rounder.

The only other competition for the top spot in my mind was 2010, which had Pouncey early and Antonio late, with Manny in the middle, but not much else. However, any draft that nets multiple Pro Bowlers is certainly a formidable one.

[phillyesq]

Ruthless - you nailed it with 2008. That was an awful draft that set the team back a number of years. Looking back on the drafts, 2012 is looking pretty bad. DD at the front was great as was Beachum at the end. Mike Adams is the only other guy still on the roster. The injury to Spence was a setback, but I never really liked that pick to begin with - I just didn't see him as a starter.

Going farther back, the 1996-97 drafts were awful. The first 4 picks in those drafts were: Chad Scott, Will Blackwell, Jamain Stephens and Steve Conley.

Below is a link to all of the Steelers drafts:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/draft.htm