What constitutes a successful draft choice?

I am reviewing the Steelers' draft history for at least the Colbert era. Question: What constitues a successful draft choice? Were Vernon Hayes or Chris Hope successful draft choices? What degree of production over how many years? Is a draft choice successful if he was simply a solid backup for how many years? Please help construct a draft success filter to be used against the Steelers' draft history. I want to know the average number of successful drafteees per draft over at least the past 15 years. What is the cut off point between successful and unsuccessful? I have my opinion but it may be too stringent.

What do we supposed is a successful draftee from the Steelers' perspective?

 

I'm thinking if the player is productive when given opportunities, stays on the roster for at least 4-5 years, then you can consider him a successful draft pick. If that player is a difference maker then that ups his degree of successfulness. If that player ends up being a starter, then that's a higher degree of successfulness then a player who's made the team but is a quality back-up. Both are successful because both are productive; just one is better at that position then the other.

Anything else you get is gravy (such as leadership qualities etc. etc.intangibles)

 

When your taking a guy in the first couple of rounds, you expect him to have a higher degree of successfulness then someone you took in the 6th round per say. You expect that first or second round pick to be a starter at some point.

 

Years of quality NFL production such as pro bowls, all-pros, and Super Bowls. Not to mention being a great leader that helps out younger guys coming in to keep the franchise stable for the future. Although I guess, from a front office perspective, they consider them a good pick as long as they get the return on their initial investment and as long as the player does what he's asked to do on the level in which he is asked to do it.

 

True...................

 

Production
Length with the team
Ranks amongst their peers
Team success while they're on the team

 

did they help us get a ring. thats all that matters. thats what they shoot for every year. especially being on a team with a franchise qb already in place.

 

a player that improve the team

 

Well I decided on seasons served, games played, games started and what I am aware of relative to their intangibles and on the field contributions. I have spread a sheet but I don't know how to insert it into this post. In any case for the draft years of 2000 through 2014, I have 46 successful selections or on average 3 keepers per draft. This includes starters and backups. Mostly starters. Of the 46 keepers 32 or 70% were choosen in the first three rounds. In the next four rounds only 14 keepers or 30% were had. So if you or anyone is loving a selection in rounds 4 through 7, good luck. They are long shots. The number of keepers by round: 14 R1, 9 R2, 9 R3, 5 R4, 3 R5, 4 R6, 2 R7. Of course when they hit there could be a huge pay out, Antonio Brown for example. Below are my draft keepers or successful slections by year, round, position, and player:

Code:

2000    1    8      Plaxico Burress
2000    2    38     Marvel Smith
2000    5    137    Clark Haggans
2001    1    19     Casey Hampton
2001    2    39     Kendrell Bell
2002    1    30     Kendall Simmons
2002    2    62     Antwaan Randle El
2002    3    94     Chris Hope
2002    4    128    Larry Foote
2002    5    166    Verron Haynes
2002    7    242    Brett Keisel
2003    1    16     Troy Polamalu
2003    4    125    Ike Taylor
2004    1    11     Ben Roethlisberger
2004    3    75     Max Starks
2005    1    30     Heath Miller
2005    2    62     Bryant McFadden
2005    3    93     Trai Essex
2005    6    204    Chris Kemoeatu
2006    1    25     Santonio Holmes
2006    4    131    Willie Colon
2007    1    15     Lawrence Timmons
2007    2    46     LaMarr Woodley
2007    3    77     Matt Spaeth
2007    4    112    Daniel Sepulveda
2007    5    170    William Gay
2008    1    23     Rashard Mendenhall
2009    3    84     Mike Wallace
2009    3    96     Keenan Lewis
2010    1    18     Maurkice Pouncey
2010    2    52     Jason Worilds
2010    3    82     Emmanuel Sanders
2010    6    195    Antonio Brown
2010    1    31     Cameron Heyward
2010    2    63     Marcus Gilbert
2012    1    24     David DeCastro
2012    3    86     Sean Spence
2012    7    248    Kelvin Beachum
2013    1    17     Jarvis Jones
2013    2    48     Le'Veon Bell
2013    3    79     Markus Wheaton
2013    6    206    Vince Williams
2014    1    15     Ryan Shazier
2014    2    46     Stephon Tuitt
2014    4    118    Martavis Bryant
2014    6    215    Dan McCullers

 

Very tough to say objectively. You could look at Mike Adams who has 20 starts in 5 years and was drafted in the 2nd and compare him to Vince Williams who has 13 starts in 4 years and was drafted in the 6th. I would take Vince Williams over Adams 100 times out of 100. So many factors could be added in (snap counts so you include STs, games played, etc). A lot of it is subjective as well. Overall it would be hard to quantify a success formula.

 

A lot IS subjective.

 

Any draft not like the 1974 draft is deemed a failure.

I'm kidding obviously, but that 2002 draft was pretty good also.

 

A successful draft pick is one that help us win a superbowl, then after their tenure here is still good enough to be picked up by The Cardinals

 

A successful DB draft pick would play like rod woodson, now rod is my kind of draft pick for the secondary....

 

Highly productive player, that helps team win superbowls, and is an upstanding citizen off the field.

IE Mel Blount, my friends call me supe, thats shorter for SUPER.

 

Valid point.