UPDATE: OK, after reading all the comments about Devin Bush, I spent a long time looking back over his Steelers tenure and have decided to add him, while removing ZIggy Hood.
Now, I will continue to disagree with many of you that Bush should be No. 1 here. You cannot convince me that he was worse than Jarvis Jones.
Bush was pretty darn good as a rookie with 109 tackles, and finished his four years with 286, compared to just 130 for Jones in his four years.
Bush also had 173 solo tackles for the Steelers, to only 84 for Jones. At least Bush did something to help the defense at times, while Jones rarely ever did.
Bush also started 48 games for the Steelers and had seasons of 70 and 81 tackles after his injury. Jones started only 35 games and NEVER had more than 42 tackles.
So, while I'll concede and add Bush, I'll still say the people who want him to be No. 1 on this list are suffering from recency bias.
Also, just look at how completely forgettable OL Jamain Stephens was, so I couldn't put Bush No. 2 either.
Lastly, I will say that pretty much all sports opinions are debatable, and if someone can convince me that I'm wrong, I try to stay open minded enough to acknowledge it and change my mind.
So ... my updated top 5 is below.
ORIGINAL STORY
The Steelers haven't had too many huge misses in the first round over the past 30 years, but there have been a handful of notable ones.
I ranked my Steelers top 10 first-round draft diamonds yesterday, so today we're going with the five worst draft duds during the same span.
As a refresher, here's a list of all first-round draft picks since 1993 (selection number in parenthesis):
1993: CB Deon Figures (23)
1994: WR Charles Johnson (17)
1995: TE Mark Bruener (27)
1996: OT Jamain Stephens (29)
1997: CB Chad Scott (24)
1998: G Alan Faneca (26)
1999: WR Troy Edwards (13)
2000: WR Plaxico Burress (8)
2001: DT Casey Hampton (19)
2002: G Kendall Simmons (30)
2003: S Troy Polamalu (16)
2004: QB Ben Roethlisberger (11)
2005: TE Heath Miller (30)
2006: WR Santonio Holmes (25)
2007: LB Lawrence Timmons (15)
2008: RB Rashard Mendenhall (23)
2009: DT Ziggy Hood (32)
2010: C Maurkice Pouncey (18)
2011: DT Cameron Heyward (31)
2012: G David DeCastro (24)
2013: LB Jarvis Jones (17)
2014: LB Ryan Shazier (15)
2015: LB Bud Dupree (22)
2016: CB Artie Burns (25)
2017: LB T.J. Watt (30)
2018: S Terrell Edmunds (28)
2019: LB Devin Bush (10)
2020: No pick
2021: RB Najee Harris (24)
2022: QB Kenn Pickett (20)
OK, so here's my bottom five:
1. LB JARVIS JONES
Stats: Four years with Steelers, 50 games, 35 starts, 130 tackles, two INTs, six sacks, 11 tackles for loss
Jones came out of Georgia with sooooo much potential and was seen as a future superstar. He turned out to be below average, and it's a wonder he was still able to start 35 games.
The Steelers gave him every opportunity to turn the corner and become a quality player, but it never happened.
His final stats with the team are embarrassing, and again, much worse than Devin Bush's numbers.
2. OL JAMAIN STEPHENS
Stats: Two years with Steelers, 19 games, 11 starts; then three years with Bengals (21 games, four starts)
I can make a strong case that Stephens should be No. 1 on this list, because he was a totally forgettable first-round pick who never came close to being a solid NFL lineman.
The difference, though, between him and Jones came down to expectations. Everybody seemed to know that Stephens was more of a project who needed development time, while Jones was thought to be an immediate star.
I have to believe even many diehard Steelers fans don't remember Stephens at all, which goes to show how big of an afterthought he's become over the years.
3. LB DEVIN BUSH
Stats: Four years with Steelers, 52 games, 48 starts, 286 tackles, two INTs, four sacks, 13 tackles for loss.
One big thing so many readers commented on was that the Steelers traded up 10 spots and drafted Bush at No. 10 overall, thereby making him such a huge bust. I agree with that, and did not put enough emphasis on it in my original ranking.
Bush was a very aggravating player because he started off well in his career and then went downhill after his injury. I still think there's a lot of recency bias in people saying he was worse than Jones or Stephens, but the fact of the matter is Bush should go down as one of the biggest draft busts in Steelers history.
And hey, thanks to everybody for a great discussion in the comments section.
4. WR TROY EDWARDS
Stats: Three years with Steelers, 46 games, seven starts, 98 catches, 1,212 yards, five TDs; then four more years in NFL, 105 catches, six TDs
You'll find some lists that rank Edwards as an bigger draft bust than Jones or Stephens, which goes to show just how badly things worked out for him.
He was the 13th overall pick in the draft, and when you're a skill guy going that high, expectations are through the roof. But the fact that Edwards only ever started seven games for the Steelers shows how badly he failed to meet expectations.
T5. CB DEON FIGURES, CB ARTIE BURNS
Figures' stats: Four years with Steelers, 61 games, 23 starts, three interceptions, 177 tackles
Burns' stats: Four years with Steelers, 58 games, 32 starts, four interceptions, 149 tackles
I had a tough time distinguishing between these two, so I just included both.
Figures' career was hampered by getting shot in the leg in a drive-by shooting.
Burns was a recent Steeler, so fans surely remember him not living up to his potential.
DISHONORABLE MENTION
I originally had DL Ziggy Hood in the top five, but dropped him in order to add Bush. Here's the lowdown on Hood:
Stats: Five years with Steelers, 80 games, 46 starts, 140 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss; then four more seasons in NFL
With a name like Ziggy, he's got to be good! Right? Ummm ... not exactly.
Hood showed flashes of reaching his potential at times, but he never could quite put it all together and was a mediocre lineman at best. That's not what you're looking for in a first-round pick.
Still, he did play 10 years in the league, and that's a tribute to him for being at least good enough to stick around.
