Steelers Drafts Under Tomlin Are Not As Bad As People Think

Mike Tomlin Has Proven That He Can Draft Quality
Players In The Draft

Before publishing this article, I already had the title ready to go "Steelers Drafts Under Tomlin are Less Than Stellar".  It was ready for the content and I started my research.  As I went back and looked at every draft under Mike Tomlin (Since 2007), I started to see a trend.  Not all of Tomlin's (and Kevin Colbert) draft classes were "duds".  Last night on Twitter (follow me @BnGBlitz) I joined in the chorus of people who were screaming that Tomlin hasn't had a solid draft...EVER!  Call it a knee jerk reaction to the fact that Rashard Mendenhall getting suspended for 1 game due to him not showing up to Heinz Field on Sunday after being told he was inactive.  So instead of jumping on the "Tomlin Hate Bandwagon", take a look for yourself.  Sure, there are some less than stellar draft classes, but you look at the majority of the players that have contributed at one time or another and you'll see a team that still knows how to draft players.  Just a note, the number associated with players are in the order they were drafted, not the ROUND in which they were drafted.

(* = Current Starter / + = Former Starter or Significant Playing Time)

2007 Draft Class:
1 - OLB - Lawrence Timmons *
2 - OLB - Lamarr Woodley *
3 - TE - Matt Spaeth +
4 - P - Daniel Sepulveda +
5 - DL - Ryan McBean
6 - CB - William Gay +
7 - WR - Dallas Baker

2008 Draft Class:
1 - RB - Rashard Mendenhall +
2 - WR - Limas Sweed +
3 -  DE/OLB - Bruce Davis
4 - DL - Tony Hills
5 - QB - Dennis Dixon +
6 - DB - Ryan Mundy *

2009 Draft Class:
1 - DL - Ziggy Hood *
2 - OL - Kraig Urbik
3 - WR - Mike Wallace *
4 - CB - Keenan Lewis *
5 - CB - Joe Burnett
6 - FB - Frank "The Tank" Summers
7 - DE - Ra'shon Harris
8 - C - A.Q. Shipley
9 - TE - David Johnson +

2010 Draft Class:
1 - C - Maurkice Pouncey *
2 - OLB - Jason Worilds *
3 - WR - Emmanuel Sanders *
4 - OLB - Thadeus Gibson
5 - OT - Chris Scott +
6 - CB - Crezdon Butler
7 - LB - Stevenson Sylvester *
8 - RB - Jonathan Dwyer *
9 - WR - Antonio Brown *
10 - DL - Doug Worthington

2011 Draft Class:
1 - DL - Cam Heyward +
2 - OT - Marcus Gilbert *
3 - CB - Curtis Brown *
4 - CB - Cortez Allen *
5 - LB - Chris Carter +
6 - OG - Keith Williams
7 - RB - Baron Batch +

2012 Draft Class:
1 - OG - David DeCastro +
2 - OT - Mike Adams +
3 - LB - Sean Spence
4 - NT - Alameda Ta'amu
5 - RB - Chris Rainey *
6 - WR - Toney Clemons
7 - TE - David Paulson *
8 - CB - Terrence Frederick
9 - OG - Kelvin Beachum *

Sure, it is easy to bash the 2008 Draft class has a huge bust (especially since the writing is on the wall that Rashard Mendenhall will NOT be back with the Steelers next season), but at the same time look at the amount of players drafted that have contributed, or ARE contributing to the Steelers successes this year.  I can be quick to judge others, and I feel I was very quick to judge Mike Tomlin and his draft classes until look in between the lines.  NO TEAM in the NFL can say they have had a draft where every single player was a difference maker on their team.  Drafting players in the NFL is a difficult task, and busts are bound to happen.  The fact that the Steelers only missed a couple times per draft is impressive.  Don't believe me?  Look at other team's drafts...Jaguars, Bills, Cardinals, etc. and you will see just how good the Steelers are in evaluating talent.  One thing to keep in mind are the UDFA like Isaac Redman and Doug Legursky that have been significant members of the Steelers teams for years now.  Don't agree?  Leave a comment below, or mention me on Twitter.  I'm always up for a good debate.