5 Former Steelers That Would Wreak Havoc In Today's NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a highly touted and well-respected history. They are largely considered the best organization in the entire NFL, and even in all of sports. This is all due to the impact different players have had throughout so many decades of Steelers' football, including Terry Bradshaw, "Mean" Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Ben Roethlisberger, and Hines Ward. The list goes on and on. This tweet from Pro Football Focus promptly asks which player from the past would perform the best in today's NFL, which got me thinking about what former Steelers would be dominant in today's game. 

This list will of course exclude the "obvious" players, similar to the ones listed above. It will also exclude players who are still too close to their playing days such as Maurkice Pouncey, Troy Polamalu, etc. Let's get started.

Former Steelers Quarterback, Kordell Stewart

Kordell Stewart, nicknamed "Slash", was the most consistent face in the Steelers' quarterback room before Roethlisberger arrived in 2004. Stewart played for the Steelers for seven seasons from 1995 through 2002. He was a second round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft and played his college football for the Colorado Buffaloes. 

Stewart has been vocal about his opinions on the Steelers' current team. He was known as a dual-threat quarterback putting up almost 3,000 rushing yards in his career to go with 38 rushing touchdowns, many coming from spectacular highlight plays. Stewart would be amazing in today's NFL where a running quarterback is more common and we see more offensive schemes drawn up for them to succeed. He would need to work on his decision making as he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his career, however. There is no denying that seeing "Slash" play on Sundays in today's NFL would be spectacular.

Carnell Lake

Carnell Lake was a strong safety for the Steelers from 1989 through the 1998 season, and was elected First Team All-Pro in 1997. Despite receiving one First Team All-Pro nod in '97, Lake was often overlooked throughout his career as he was playing in a defensive backfield with Hall Of Fame cornerback, Rod Woodson. Lake was known for his ability to pass rush from the safety position, recording 25 sacks in his career and 15 forced fumbles. He also had 16 interceptions and 826 total tackles. He was a safety who could do it all on the football field which would help him excel in today's NFL. He could be a dominate safety, or even a better version of Mike Hilton at the nickelback position. 

L.C. Greenwood

L.C. Greenwood was drafted by the Steelers in the 10th round of the 1969 NFL Draft before the team's dominance began. Greenwood was an integral part of the "Steel Curtain," being named the team's starting left defensive end in 1971 and holding the position until he retired in 1981. Greenwood was a two-time First Team All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, and four-time Super Bowl champion, being a very important piece of the dominant Steelers' teams from the 70s. 

Greenwood had all of the physical attributes you could want from a defensive end, standing at 6'6" and weighing 245 pounds during his playing career. He was a strong and quick pass rusher who would excel coming off of the edge in today's NFL. Sacks were not an official stat when he played, but if they had been, he would still be third on the franchise sack leaders list and would have held the record until James Harrison reached 79.5 career sacks during the 2016 season. 

Jason Gildon

Jason Gildon was a physically menacing outside linebacker for the Steelers from 1994 until 2003. He was 6'4", 255 pounds, and held the Steelers' all-time sack record until 2016. Gildon was a First Team All-Pro in 2001 and made the Pro Bowl in three straight seasons from 2000 through 2002. In a league today that is known for having so many talented edge rushers, Gildon would excel. He was drafted in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft and played a lot as a rookie after an injury to edge rusher Greg Lloyd Sr. He would be in the starting lineup for the Steelers every year after that, making his presence felt as he sacked the quarterback 77 times in his career with the Steelers. 

Aaron Smith

Aaron Smith was a defensive end for the Steelers from 1999 through the 2011 season, winning two Super Bowls in his time with the team. He is currently ninth on the Steelers franchise sack leaders list with 44, and he did a lot more for the Steelers that doesn't show up in statistics. Smith was responsible for the Steelers having one of the best run defenses in the early 2000s. Former Steelers' defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau, has said that Smith is one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the history of the game. During Smith's career, the Steelers had the number one rush defense four times, and Smith was a big reason for that. He would still be able to stop the run in today's game and bring a winning mentality to the football field every time he stepped onto it.

There are plenty of former Steelers that would be dominant in today's NFL. Who do you think we missed, Steeler Nation? Let us know below!

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