By Matthew Miller — Sports Staffer
The Steelers are the only team with just one losing season since 2000.
Considering the lack of failure, some NFL fans may think the Steelers have dominated for years. However, many recognize what the once-great team has become.
The 9-8 team.
That consistent mediocrity has proven difficult for drafting and developing talent. They have drafted in the top half of the first round just twice in 10 years.
That doesn’t mean they cannot get good talent though, does it? Well, they could but they don’t.
Since 2010, only four of their first-round picks signed extensions. That is the same number as the Browns and Jets in the same time frame.
Ryan Shazier, on account of his tragic career-ending injury, was not included in the total.
In fact, after drafting T.J. Watt in 2017, the Steelers had six straight first-round picks that are no longer on the team.
Maybe they are better in later rounds? They aren’t.
Out of the 22 players drafted from 2020 to 2022, only two remain on the team. Over that time period, they have a 9% hit rate.
Not every player ends up a bust, though. They have drafted good players like four-time 1,000-yard rush Najee Harris, the human highlight reel of George Pickens and a lock down cornerback in Joey Porter Jr. However, they did not re-sign Najee, and traded Pickens in the 2025 offseason. Now, they traded Joey Porter Jr.
The Porter situation perfectly illustrates the organization’s problems. They drafted him in a cornerback-heavy class. Which means all those corners will be extended in the same offseason. Instead of doing contract extension talks in March when they could have. They waited until the Seahawks re-signed Devon Witherspoon and reset the corner market. Then once again they waited to do talks until after the draft. Then until after OTAs and by the time they reached out, they had alienated their best defensive back, and now he’s a Cowboy.
Failing to draft quality players can cripple a franchise, but combining poor drafting with an inability to retain talent creates a death sentence for the team in question.
The Steelers are one of the NFL’s most historically successful franchises. But as the organization watches the team crumble and the fans turn against them, they have no one to blame but themselves.
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