No one left from the 2016 draft class

I'm not sure but I don't think there's a single guy left from the 2016 draft class. Artie Burns was number 1 that year

 

or 2015.

 

There's no one left from the 1996 draft class either. But you make it sound like they've all "washed out". No, they move on to other teams. It's what people do when they get offered more money to work somewhere else (see B. Dupree, J. Hargrave). After 4 years, 8 out of 15 players chosen in those two drafts are still in the NFL. The average career of an NFL player (that's the ones who make a team at some point, so we can eliminate Travis Feeney and Gerod Holliman) is 2.5 years. So after 4 (or 5) years, having well more than half of your draftees still in the league is phenomenal.
Here's something to chew on- every member of the 2020 draft class, including a few undrafted free agents, appeared in a game for the Steelers this year, for the first time ever. Of course, when the draft was 15 rounds, it was a lot harder.

 

Don’t you just hate when facts get in the way of a ****ty argument

 

Most of those picks didn't pan out. That's what I believe the original topic was trying to say.

 

Just going on what we know to date that 2020 class looks phenomenal, especially given that they had no first or third round picks going in to it. If McFarland start to contribute in Canada’s hopefully new look offence it might be even better than we think.

 

8 out of 15 still in the league is "panning out". Not every player is an All Pro. Could we have done better? Yup. But for every Artie Burns or Jarvis Jones we pick in the first round, we get a Bud Dupree (currently signed the largest free agent contract this year, giving us pick 33 in the third round next year) and TJ Watt.

It's easy to go back after 3 years and say "we could have had such and such a player". So could 30 other teams. Does every one suck at drafting?

 

I was not trying to do anything you accuse me of. It just seems strange that after 4 years not a single draft pick we took that year is still on the roster. Simply asking me if that's what I meant could have cleared that right up for you. But then you made the assumption

 

Lot of poo slinging round here Rollers. What about Davis? He coming back?

 

Don't have a feel for that one one way or the other. Just not sure

 

I can see both sides of this argument. Yes some will not pan out, others will move on, but as much as fans like to put emphasis on 'this' years production for immediate needs it just is not so. Teams build through the draft with eyes on future starters and depth. While some will have immediate impact, 3-4 years is really when you can look back and say you had a successful draft. Out of all those players you would hope some would develop enough that you could make an offer to keep them around. Cap issues aside, we have none of those guys around...those were not good drafts.

 

I thought I saw something this morning where he signed with the Colts.

 

I didn't think you meant what another poster said. You mean none are still on the team which I find a little surprising.

 

The biggest issue was spending 3 picks on CBs, none of whom panned out. That gap - along with Davis, though I can’t remember what other safeties were available - was created by not addressing the position seriously for years. Then we end up forced to pick.

They weren’t complete failures of drafts - Hargrave was good but under-used, Chickillo was serviceable and Coates was good before his hand mangled - but certainly not ones I’d like to see repeated

 

we do draft players for our team, not to service other teams with players like the pirates. so yes those two drafts were not a real success for us. plain and simple.

 

I would be interested in a web search to find out how we grade over the years vs other teams drafting players, but I`m to lazy to dig for that right now, LOL.

I suspect we are above average.

 

There was a comprehensive article about this in the Athletic before the start of last season. They looked at draft success the past decade, looking at how many re-signed with their teams, made pro bowls or All Pro etc. From memory the Saints and Packers came out on top, then there was a clutch of teams including the Steelers, Ravens and a couple of others just behind them. It didn’t account for draft position, Steelers have the second worst average draft position in recent times behind the Patriots fwiw.

I think the Steelers are comfortably in the top 5-6 teams in relation to draft success. Maximising that talent and turning it in to postseason success is another matter.

 

2015 was..... okay initially but turned out below average. I have been on record that the 2016 Draft is by far the worst of the Colbert Era but even that Draft had some good gems; Hargrave and Matakevich being the only major highlights. Davis could have been one but neither Tomlin nor Butler had much of an idea on how to use him.... even though Strong Safety is what he could have been good at.


That said, while both drafts sadly did not produce much, @steelersrock151 is correct. The fact that over 50% of the picks of those two drafts panned out still means that those drafts, despite their overall results, were successful in the sense of obtaining quality role players to starters (or starter in the case of Bud Dupree). Now ideally, one would want at least two starters, maybe even three, from every draft but such luck is so very rare. If anything, see our 2017 Draft for further clarification.



That draft produced not one, not two but four starters in total; very difficult in the current status of the NFL. Here is hoping 2021 can at least give us two.

 

I freaking totally agree on Davis

 

My point was no one the steelers drafted in 2016 are still with the team. Not that there were none in the NFL. Those two drafts were horrible for the Steelers.

 

2016 was horrible sans Hargrave and Dirty Red. 2015 sadly had bad luck. Sammie Coates obtaining cuts deeper than getting sliced via a knife is definitely worth noting. Golson could never stay healthy and Chickillo was merely depth.

 

NFL turnover is insane over 5 years. Watch a highlight from 2016, crazy how many different faces were on the roster.

 

When I hear the word "grooming" the Pirates come to mind but hey, they won their opener which I'm guessing is the highlight of the season.

 

Do people realize how difficult it is to "make it" in the NFL? NFL rosters have a large majority of turnover every 4 or 5 seasons. This is how things evolved in the age of free agency.

Every team would love to hit 50% of their draft picks and have the money to resign those players. That's not a realistic expectation though.