In this retrospective series, we'll use 20/20 hindsight to play General Manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers to review past drafts - focusing primarily on top 2-3 selections - and personnel decisions year-by-year and redraft or implement trades based on the Steelers roster at the time.
General rule: Any "redrafted" pick will generally fall within a 15-pick range and trade propositions being realistic and attainable.
Steelers situation and needs:
- The Steelers looked like a team on the rise and went into Week 16 with what should have been the AFC Central Division clinching win & the team's first 10 win season since 1983 - facing the Houston Oilers without their future Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon.
- The team finished 9-7 and behind a secondary that put a "No Admittance Sign" on the End Zone (only 9 TD passes surrendered on the year through 15 weeks). It was then the shocking "Commander Cody Bowl" ensued and backup QB Cody Carlson shredded the Steelers secondary with 22/29 for 247 yards and 3TD performance that embarrassed the Steelers right out of the AFC Central Title and playoffs.
- The Joe Walton offense was a dud and too much pressure was put on the ever improving (but not yet dominant) The "J_E. Where's the O?" offense was a dud and too much pressure was put on the ever improving defense.
- RB Tim Worley began regressing rapidly.
- QB Bubby Brister was beginning to show his cracks and faith was falling out of him to be the Steelers quarterback - even though it was his best statistical year, it was the last year he was the full-time starter.
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The Steelers are caught completely unprepared
1991 Steelers Draft: 1st Round - #15 Overall; 2nd Round: #46 Overall
If there was ever a red flag that it was time for Chuck Noll and Dick Haley, it reflected in just how unprepared the Steelers were in the 1991 draft. The "legend" goes that the Steelers had 3 players they had lined up to draft before their pick (believed to be Alvin Harper, Herman Moore, and Pat Harlow). It surfaced that several agents were strong on keeping Harper and Moore in particular away from Pittsburgh, who had a reputation for not dolling out larger contracts. The Steelers were left unready, did not have a 4th player on their list, and scrambled to draft a OLB/DE who was not big enough to play 3-4 DE and not fast enough to play OLB. Richardson finished his one and only Steelers season with an incredible stat line: 0 starts, 0 sacks, 0 starts in 16 games. He was cut by Bill Cowher the next season.
Tom Donahoe on Richardson, per Post-Gazette:
The Huey Richardson pick to me was total insanity. It just wasn't going to work and it didn't work. It was a stretch to think he could play outside linebacker because he was not a very fluid athlete. He was very stiff. But, that was what we decided, that was what we did and it obviously didn't work.
Richardson went on to play for the Washington Redskins and New York Jets, where he again failed to accrue a stat before his career ended. *Interesting footnote: Richardson was a financial analyst working in the World Trade Center on 9/11.
The 2nd round selection of WR Jeff Graham followed by WR Ernie Mills in the 3rd, lends credence to the fact the Steelers were leaning heavy at WR in the 1st round. Graham was beginning to show potential before he lost all ability to reliably catch the ball.
Grade D-
- Ernie Mills enormous clutch catches in the 1995 AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl which directly lead to TDs are the only reason this dumpster fire of a draft did not get an F.
- Adrian Cooper and Leroy Thompson notwithstanding, 4th round CB Sammy Walker is best remembered for dropping a coast-to-coast sure fire pick-6 in the 1992 playoffs.
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Redrafting 1991: The Steelers missed out on a Hall of Fame QB--again.
It's very transparent through this series that I have wanted the Steelers to draft a QB. I was enamored with Chuck Long in 1986 and in 1990 - I was getting desperate and wanted the Steelers to take Todd Marinovich, despite all the negatives surrounding him.
That being said, I remember reading a lot about the exploits of one Brett Favre and it was only from magazines. 20/20 is hindsight - but he truly fit the Steelers mold as a QB. I do remember researching how Ron Wolf of the New York Jets was in love with Favre and were set to draft him until the Atlanta Falcons unexpectedly selected him over the objections of Jerry Glanville, leaving the Jets with QB Browning Nagle. Wolf thought enough of Farve to trade a 1st round pick to Atlanta to secure him when Wolf took over as GM for the Green Bay Packers.
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