Second to none? Steelers’ top pick is from round in which they’ve had mixed results

There is little reward for being second-best, and no one wants to be anyone’s second choice.

But for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020, the second-round pick is second to none.

For the first time since 1967, the Steelers are without first-round pick, having traded it to the Miami Dolphins in September for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Heading into Day 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday, the Steelers aren’t scheduled to go on the clock until the 17th pick of the second round (No. 49 overall).

Barring trades during Thursday’s first round, 29 of the other 31 teams will have picked at least once by the time the Steelers are on the clock for the first time.

The general manager of one of those teams said lacking a first-round pick changes the way an organization approaches a draft.

“There will be some players that we ultimately will not really spend a lot more time vetting or evaluating because you’ve got a gut feeling they’re not getting to 50,” said Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead, whose highest pick entering the draft was 52nd overall. “What you have to do then is the realistic players. You really start spending your time vetting them.”

TribLIVE sports writers @tribjoerutter, @C_AdamskiTrib and @TimBenzPGH dug into what the #Steelers are looking for in the 2020 #NFLDraft. They looked at all the top players available at each position and determined who they think the @Steelers will take.https://t.co/OdJVe2SmLQ

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Though they lack the fanfare — and bonus money — of their first-round brethren, second-round picks can be pivotal franchise-altering choices. An analysis of the 2019 Pro Bowl rosters by drafthistory.com, for example, found 12 second-round picks.

That was far behind the 45 first-rounders. But, as might be expected, it was the second-most of any round, and there were more former second-round Pro Bowlers than those who were taken in the fourth through seventh rounds combined (10).

“You’re going to have a bunch of really good players that can come in and help that team in a lot of areas there in the second round,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of this draft.

Over the past half-century, the Steelers have hit some home runs with their second-round picks. They have had their share of busts, too.

Among the Steelers’ past 20 second-round picks, according to pro-football-reference.com, are seven players who started two or fewer games over their careers for them: Will Blackwell (1997), Jeremy Staat (1998), Scott Shields (1999), Alonzo Jackson (2003), Ricardo Colclough (2004), Limas Sweed (2008) and Senquez Golson (2015).

But also in that time frame are a defensive rookie of the year (Kendrell Bell), two seven-year starters who started for a Super Bowl winner (Marvel Smith and LaMarr Woodley), a two-time All Pro (Le’Veon Bell) and a current young starter who made a Pro Bowl a month after turning 22 (JuJu Smith-Schuster).

Dating to the AFL/NFL merger, the Steelers have found three Hall of Famers (Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Dermontti Dawson) and seven first-team All-Pros in Round 2: Ham, Lambert, Dawson, Le’Veon Bell, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland, Carnell Lake.

Thirteen former Steelers second-round picks since the merger in 1970 were named to at least one Pro Bowl roster, and 18 started at least 70 games for the team, which has the league’s best record in that time.

With no first-round pick to serve as the draft class’ standard-bearer, this year’s Steelers second-rounder perhaps will join the team with as much hype as any player taken in that round by the organization since Kordell Stewart. Selected a round after tight end Mark Bruener in 1995, Stewart was a high-profile college quarterback who joined a team that had just played in the AFC championship game.

The Steelers probably won’t get another Ham or Lambert, but their track record shows they have a good chance of avoiding another Sweed or Golson with their second-round pick this year, too.

“When you look at the second and third rounds,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said, “you’ll see some guys who have a chance to come in and impact teams very quickly.”

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