America Loves Countdowns

Countdown #20: Biggest Steelers Draft Steals

In honor of the upcoming NFL Draft, this week's America Loves Countdown® series examines the best draft steals in Steelers history. The draft can often be a crapshoot. Sometimes a college star ends up being a huge bust, while a guy who was rated low ends up becoming an elite NFL player. We have seen this dozens of times over the years, and the Steelers - who have a proud draft history - are certainly part of that mix. This countdown selects the ten best sleeper picks who fell below the top rounds and ended up paying off big for the black and gold. It should be noted that many of the players on this list played the same position - linebacker.

Jason Gildon (3rd Round - 1994)
Gildon had to sit behind Kevin Greene for a few years, but when he got his chance to start, he made the most of it. Gildon was selected to three Pro Bowls and ultimately left Pittsburgh as the Steelers all-time sack leader.

David Little (7th Round - 1981)
Despite being drafted so low, Little cemented his place in the Steelers defense for the next decade. At a time when the Steelers were on the way down, Little was one of the few bright spots in the defense.

Dwight White (4th Round - 1971)
White was actually the second of two 4th round choices for the Steelers that season. He went on to play in multiple Pro Bowls, but more importantly he became an integral part of the most famous defensive line in NFL history.

Tunch Ilkin (6th Round - 1980)
It's not often that a 6th rounder becomes a fixture on the o-line for 13 seasons, but that is exactly what Tunch did. The two-time all-pro now serves as one of the best radio analysts in the country, another steal for Pittsburgh.

L.C. Greenwood (10th Round - 1969)
What can you say about L.C. Greenwood? Anchor of the Steel Curtain. Selected to six Pro Bowls. Named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970's. Four-time Super Bowl champion. A recent Hall of Fame finalist. And all of this despite being drafted out of Arkansas A&M all the way down in the 10th round.

Hines Ward (3rd Round - 1998)
It's somewhat hard to argue that a 3rd round pick can be considered a true steal, but when you look at the fact that Hines Ward has made four Pro Bowls, been named Super Bowl MVP, and become one of the most popular players in team history, it makes it much easier to argue that he was a steal (especially since he was Pittsburgh's second pick of that round behind the legendary Chris Conrad).

Greg Lloyd (6th Round - 1987)
Has there ever been a more memorable Steeler than Greg Lloyd? He was not only a dominate player, but his aggresive (and often controversial) style made for so many infamous moments. I think it's fair to say that the great Steelers teams of the 1990's wouldn't have been half as good without the man Jerry Glanville once called the "nastiest" player in the league.

Andy Russell (16th round - 1963)
Can you believe they even had 16 rounds? And this was before the media age. You have to wonder if the Steelers even knew who Russell was or ever saw him play. Maybe they just picked him from a list of leftover names by that point. Whatever the method, the results were tremendous. He made seven Pro Bowls and helped the Steelers win their first two Super Bowls.

John Stallworth (4th Round - 1974)
The Steelers had already drafted Hall of Fame WR Lynn Swann in the first round that year, so it's astounding that they got a second Hall of Fame WR later in the same draft! Stallworth is still the team's all-time leader in reception yardage, and he was arguably the key player in the Super Bowl XIV win over the Rams.

Mike Webster (5th Round - 1974)
Arguably the greatest center in the history of pro football, and he went in the 5th round! Webby made the Pro Bowl nine times and set the Steelers record for games played. A true Pittsburgh stealer.

Honorable Mentions:

• Mike Merriweather (3rd Round - 1982)
  
  
• Joey Porter (3rd Round - 1999)
  
  
• Bryan Hinkle (6th Round - 1981)