We Need to Find Gems in April

Take a look at these finds:

16th round-
Andy Russell (14 seasons; 2 Super Bowl rings; 1 First-team All-Pro, 3 Second-team All-Pro, 7 Pro Bowls, Steelers All-Time team, probably the most underappreciated star in team history)
Rocky Bleier (10 seasons; 4 Super Bowl rings)

15th round-
Elbie Nickel (11 seasons; 3 Pro Bowls, Steelers All-Time team, Steelers Legends team)

12th round-
Carlton Haselrig (4 seasons; 1 Pro Bowl)

11th round-
Mike Wagner (10 seasons; 4 Super Bowl rings, 1 Second-team All-Pro, 2 Pro Bowls)
Frank Pollard (9 seasons)
Justin Strzelczyk (9 seasons)

10th round-
L.C. Greenwood (13 seasons; 4 Super Bowl rings; 1970 All-Decades Team; 2 First-team All-Pro; 6 Pro Bowls, unbelievably not in Canton)
John Jackson (10 seasons)
Merril Hoge (7 seasons)

8th round-
Ernie Holmes (7 seasons; 2 Super Bowl rings)
Darren Perry (7 seasons; 1 First-team All-Pro)

7th round-
Brett Keisel 11 seasons and counting; 2 Super Bowl rings; 1 Pro Bowl)
Dick Hoak (10 seasons; 1 Pro Bowl; served as coach/administrator with team for 36 years after playing career ended)
Ray Mathews (9 seasons; 2 Pro Bowls; Steelers Legends team)
David Little (12 seasons; 1 Pro Bowl)

6th round-
Tunch Ilkin (13 seasons; 2 Pro Bowls)
Greg Lloyd (10 seasons; 3 First-team All-Pro, 5 Pro Bowls)
Antonio Brown (3 seasons and counting; 1 Pro Bowl)
Gary Dunn (10 seasons; 2 Super Bowls)
Dwayne Woodruff (12 seasons, 1 Super Bowl ring)
Jerry Shipkey (5 seasons, 3 Pro Bowls, Steelers Legends Team)
Bryan Hinkle (12 seasons)

5th round-
Mike Webster (15 seasons - most in team history; HALL OF FAMER; NFL 75th Anniversary team; All-70s decade team; All-80s decade team; NINE TIMES FIRST-TEAM ALL-PRO; 9 Pro Bowls, 4 Super Bowl rings; number unofficially retired)
Larry Brown (14 seasons; 4 Super Bowls; played tackle AND tight end)
Barry Foster (5 seasons; 2 Pro Bowls, led AFC in rushing in '92-only 23yrds behind Emmit Smith for league title, franchise single-season rushing record)
Steve Furness (9 seasons; 4 Super Bowl rings)
Hardy Nickerson (6 seasons in black & gold; unfortunately, his big years were after he left us: in 7 seasons in tampa he made 4 All-Pro and 5 Pro Bowls)

4th round-
John Stallworth (14 seasons, HALL OF FAME, 1 1st-team All-Pro, 1 2nd-team All-Pro, 4 Pro Bowls, 4 Super Bowl Rings)
Aaron Smith (13 seasons, 1 Pro Bowl; 2 Super Bowl rings; Sports Illustrated's All-2000's decade team)
Dwight White (10 seasons; 2 Pro Bowls; 4 Super Bowl rings)
Ike Taylor (10 seasons and counting; 2 Super Bowl rings)
Gerry Mullins (9 seasons; 4 Super Bowl rings)

3rd round-
Mel Blount (14 seasons; HALL OF FAME, 4 Super Bowl rings, 4 First-team All-Pro, 2 Second-team All-Pro, NFL 75th Anniversary team, 1980's All-Decade team, 5 Pro Bowls, 1975 DPOY)
Hines Ward (14 seasons; 2 Super Bowl rings, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 3 Second-team All-Pro, 4 Pro Bowls, franchise leader in receptions, reception yards, and receiving td's, number is, apparently, unofficially retired)
Jon Kolb (13 seasons, 4 Super Bowl rings)
Jason Gildon (10 seasons; 1 First-team All-Pro, 3 Pro Bowls; franchise career sack leader)
Mike Wallace (4 seasons; 1 Pro Bowl, greedy one-trick pony)
Mike Merriweather (6 seaons; 3 First-team All-Pro; 3 Pro Bowls)

 

I thought it was interesting to see where some of these guys were drafted. I guess nobody else did. Ha!

In doing some quick research on this, I came across the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970's.

Can you believe . . . Tom Landry was voted coach of the decade over Chuck Noll?!

 

Good post and looking at those picks it proves talent can be found outside of rounds 1-2. Just hope we find a couple because they may be forced into action quickly

 

I think it was a popularity thing is why he one.JMO... But Dallas is and always will be one of the medias lil Darlings

 

I believe either Rooney or Noll kept the tape on Stallworth hidden (back then, there was only a limited amount of film that went around). I think it was Noll who wanted to pick Stallworth in the 2nd, but Rooney knew that nobody else had seen what they had seen, and persuaded him to wait til the 4th.

 

I think Noll actually wanted to take Stallworth in the 1st, but they decided on Swann and grabbed Stalls in the 4th.

 

I think I'd have to vote Mike Webster as the greatest draft steal in franchise history. I mean NINE 1st-team All-Pro selections?!?! That's insane!! Most positions have multiple players being named first-team (RB, WR, T, G, CB, S, LB, DE, DT). A Hall of Famer out of the 5th round? That's pretty solid.

Believe it or not, Mike Webster wasn't even first-team All-Decade for the 70's. Jim Langer of Miami was. If you look at his accolades though, Langer deserved it. Lambert, on the other hand, got hosed by Dick Butkus for the middle linebacker spot.

L.C. in the 10th and Andy Russell in the 16th would have to be my alternate picks.

I'm curious to know if anybody has been a finalist for Canton more times than L.C. (6) without being elected. There is absolutely no reason L.C. Greenwood shot not be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

Its all about player evaluation and can they transition the talent to the pro level.
May I add just a couple other big factors. HEART and DESIRE.

 

sure we hit on players then. only 3 on that list are here now. and ike has maybe a season left before we ask for a pay cut or cut him next year. this isn't the nfl of the past either. teams just don't keep players their whole careers like before. free agency has done away with most of that. most of the scouts that picked alot of those guys are gone too. along with those coaches and front office people. in those years we won 4 SB's in 10 years. since then we have won 2 in 33 years. a list like this started to dwindle with players names since free agency took effect.

 

Terry Bradshaw was the #1 pick in 1970 of the whole draft. He was also "so stupid he couldnt spell cat if you gave him the 'c' and the 'a'." -Thomas 'Hollywood' Henderson But he sure could beat the pants off of the cowboys.

Lynn Swann was the 21st pick and the #1 pick by the Steelers.

 

The Steelers poor drafts of late are why they need to find a way to be a little more active in FA.....the stars waiting in the wings are not there.

HACK

 

And to make matters worst, Warren Sapp did. Geez!

 

One other player that's worth mentioning that wasn't even drafted. "The Torpedo" Donnie Shell (or, as he was known on the old message board, Donnie S(bad word).

Seriously, Shell was quite a hitter at the safety position. Just ask Earl Campbell's ribs.

 

I was a fan in the 70's and it was as if Noll was invisible in the media. That was partly his own doing but he never got the credit he should have.

 

Shell remains one of my favorite Steelers. I didn't bother trying to research all of our top UDFA's. I'd love to see a list of them though. FWP is the only other UDFA find that quickly comes to memory.

 

James Harrison UDFA. The Steelers have done well there recently. That would be nice to find a player there again.