The NFL Draft will take place outside Acrisure Stadium on April 23-25. In advance of the event, we will look back at each of the 25 Pittsburgh Steelers drafts in the building’s history.
Every day this week, we will examine each of those draft classes and pick the best player from each group. We’ll also give you the Steelers’ 25 best draft picks since the stadium opened.
For Thursday’s entry, we start with the 2016 draft class, and take you through the 2020 batch.
2016: Javon Hargrave | Round 3, Pick 89 (DT, South Carolina State)
Javon Hargrave was a good player who emerged from the middle of one of the weakest drafts in the Mike Tomlin-Kevin Colbert era.
At 6-foot-1, 309 pounds, Hargrave was a bit of a “tweener” type for how the Steelers deployed their defensive linemen. But he was a step forward in the evolution of that position, where the nose tackle could also be left on the field in pass-rush looks more often. He had four good years here, missing just one game during that time and logging 12 starts as a rookie, reaching 6.5 sacks in 2018.
But Hargrave left in free agency after the 2019 season, as Cameron Heyward was about to sign a big deal and Stephon Tuitt was already being paid. So Hargrave went to the Philadelphia Eagles for $39 million over three years instead.
Since he left, Hargrave has made the Pro Bowl twice, played in two Super Bowls, recorded 38 sacks (regular season and playoffs) and earned over $95 million.
Tyler Matakevich may have had the second-best career in Pittsburgh as a four-year core special-teamer who returned to the club in 2024 after a four-year stint in Buffalo. At the top of the draft, the Steelers got about 2½ years of starting play apiece from Artie Burns and Sean Davis, but neither proved worthy of being in the top 60 picks, and both found themselves coming off the bench by the end of their careers in Pittsburgh before playing elsewhere.
• Artie Burns | Round 1, Pick 25 (CB, Miami, Fla.)
• Sean Davis | Round 2, Pick 58 (CB, Maryland)
• Jerald Hawkins | Round 4, Pick 123 (OT, LSU)
• Travis Feeney | Round 6, Pick 220 (OLB, Washington)
• Demarcus Ayers | Round 7, Pick 229 (WR, Houston)
• Tyler Matakevich | Round 7, Pick 246 (LB, Temple)
2017: T.J. Watt | Round 1, Pick 30 (OLB, Wisconsin)
The 2017 draft was every bit as good for the Steelers as the 2016 selection process was bad.
Not only did the club land a future Defensive Player of the Year in Watt at the top of the draft, but they did so at the bottom of the first round (Pick No. 30).
Tomlin and Colbert then followed up by drafting two more future Pro Bowlers in JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner.
Plus, they got 84 games out of Cam Sutton during his first stint in Pittsburgh, and a backup quarterback who was with the organization for multiple years in Josh Dobbs.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster | Round 2, Pick 62 (WR, USC)
• Cameron Sutton | Round 3, Pick 94 (CB, Tennessee)
• James Conner | Round 3, Pick 105 (RB, Pitt)
• Joshua Dobbs | Round 4, Pick 135 (QB, Tennessee)
• Brian Allen | Round 5, Pick 173 (DB, Utah)
• Colin Holba | Round 6, Pick 213 (LS, Louisville)
• Keion Adams | Round 7, Pick 248 (OLB, Western Michigan)
2018: Mason Rudolph | Round 3, Pick 76 (QB, Oklahoma State)
You could make the case against Mason Rudolph here. Losing his starting job to Devlin “Duck” Hodges in 2019 would be a good start. Wondering why Colbert insisted the team had a first-round grade on him was another.
But Rudolph also won five games that year, filling in for an injured Ben Roethlisberger, and no one in this class did anything as impactful as Rudolph did, winning those three games at the end of 2023 to save that season and get the team into the playoffs.
Terrell Edmunds was a reach at the top of the class. He played a solid 84 games here over two stints in Pittsburgh, but managed just five interceptions, one forced fumble and five sacks over five-plus seasons at a playmaking position. Not to mention, they left Lamar Jackson on the board, and, if they wanted a safety, Cincinnati took Jessie Bates at No. 54.
James Washington led the team with 735 receiving yards in 2019 but never exceeded 400 yards in any of his other three seasons here.
Chuks Okorafor actually racked up 60 starts at tackle over six seasons in Black and Gold. He was good enough, but never great. Okorafor was a decent draft choice, but a poor keep to the tune of $29 million before the 2022 season. Broderick Jones was drafted the next year. Okorafor got benched and cut before the 2024 season.
Oh, and at least Jaylen Samuels had that one unbelievable 142-yard rushing day against the Patriots in 2018. You can always remember him for that.
But Rudolph provided the best memory of a group that left fans wanting more at almost every slot. Not to mention, he’s the only guy still here.
• Terrell Edmunds | Round 1, Pick 28 (S, Virginia Tech)
• James Washington | Round 2, Pick 60 (WR, Oklahoma State)
• Chukwuma Okorafor | Round 3, Pick 92 (OT, Western Michigan)
• Marcus Allen | Round 5, Pick 148 (S, Penn State)
• Jaylen Samuels | Round 5, Pick 165 (RB/TE, N.C. State)
• Joshua Frazier | Round 7, Pick 246 (DL, Alabama)
2019: Diontae Johnson | Round 3, Pick 66 (WR, Toledo)
Diontae Johnson going #66 to the Steelers makes him the 4th highest Toledo Rocket draft pick of all time. He’s the highest UT pick since John Greco in 2008. pic.twitter.com/MfsRlVFo81
— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) April 27, 2019
Johnson is a disturbingly easy choice from this class.
First-round pick Devin Bush had a 100-tackle season and made the All-Rookie team after the Steelers traded up to draft him in the top-10. However, the Michigan product tore his ACL in 2020 and eventually had his fifth-year option declined.
Benny Snell had a few moments at running back and served some value on special teams, but Johnson was the only player who consistently had a positive impact from this class. The former Toledo Rocket was second-team All-Pro as a return specialist during his rookie season and made the Pro Bowl in 2021 after his only 1,000-yard season. That year, he rolled up 1,161 yards on 107 catches, including eight touchdowns.
Johnson, though, staged a hold-in during the 2022 training camp, then went the entire season without scoring a touchdown after signing a $36 million contract. He also complained about the offense, got into a shouting match with his receivers coach, had a confrontation with Mitch Trubisky in the locker room, suffered a hamstring injury to open 2023 and was traded to Carolina for Donte Jackson before the 2024 campaign.
• Devin Bush Jr. | Round 1, Pick 10 (ILB, Michigan)
• Justin Layne | Round 3, Pick 83 (CB, Michigan State)
• Benny Snell Jr. | Round 4, Pick 122 (RB, Kentucky)
• Zach Gentry | Round 5, Pick 141 (TE, Michigan)
• Sutton Smith | Round 6, Pick 175 (DE, Northern Illinois)
• Isaiah Buggs | Round 6, Pick 192 (DT, Alabama)
• Ulysees Gilbert | Round 6, Pick 207 (LB, Akron)
• Derwin Gray | Round 7, Pick 219 (OT, Maryland)
2020: Alex Highsmith | Round 3, Pick 102 (OLB, Charlotte)
Looking back, Highsmith saved this class. Despite struggling with staying healthy the last two years, Highsmith still has 45 sacks and 10 forced fumbles over six seasons. He has also accounted for 212 solo tackles (64 for a loss).
The Steelers didn’t have a first-rounder this season. It had been traded the previous fall for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Chase Claypool looked like a great find in the second round. As a rookie, he had 10 total touchdowns over his first nine weeks — but just one more the rest of the year, and a total of four the remainder of his Steelers career. New general manager Omar Khan traded him to Chicago midway through his third season.
Kevin Dotson turned into a $48 million guard. Too bad that happened in Los Angeles with the Rams. Anthony McFarland and Antoine Brooks Jr. were two Tomlin projects from Maryland that didn’t pan out. Carlos Davis had one sack and 12 tackles in three years.
• Chase Claypool | Round 2, Pick 49 (WR, Notre Dame)
• Anthony McFarland Jr. | Round 4, Pick 124 (RB, Maryland)
• Kevin Dotson | Round 4, Pick 135 (G, Louisiana)
• Antoine Brooks Jr. | Round 6, Pick 198 (S, Maryland)
• Carlos Davis | Round 7, Pick 232 (DT, Nebraska)