Steelers Last Decade of Drafting: Round 3 Review

Series by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Jayson Erwin. Follow him on Twitter @JaysonErwin2002

We're on the clock now for round 3! We've entered the top 100 selection territory now. The Steelers have selected some greats in the 3rd round, names like Joey Porter, Mel Blount, and arguably their best receiver of all time, Hines Ward! Over the past ten years, 12 names have had the chance to do it up in Pittsburgh. But what were those names, and did they go big or be sent home? Let's list and grade 'em!

2013:

Markus Wheaton, WR

Grade: 6/10

Markus Wheaton was selected 79th overall out of Oregon State. His first season would be uneventful with only 6 catches for 64 yards to his name. In 2014 though, with the departure of Emmanuel Sanders, Wheaton would get a much more prominent role in the Steelers offense. Wheaton would make it known that he was here with nearly 100 yards receiving in his first game of the season. He would get his first career touchdown against Indianapolis in week 8, and then get his second next week. Wheaton's sophomore campaign was strong, as he ended the season with 53 catches, 644 yards, and 2 touchdowns. With the emergence of Martavis Bryant, Wheaton would spend more time in the slot receiver spot in 2015. Wheaton would, up to week 12, have a decent season. Not a ton of action but he still played his role well. Until Wheaton would, out of nowhere, just casually flame the Seahawks' Legion of Boom with a 200-yard game along with 9 receptions and a touchdown. It's one of the best examples of a random player beating an elite core in NFL history. Wheaton would go on to record 44 receptions, 749 yards, and 5 touchdowns. In 2016, however, disaster struck for Wheaton, as he got injured after week 5 and was out for the year. He would only get 4 receptions, 51 yards, and a touchdown. The Steelers wouldn't re-sign him and the Bears would sign him in 2017. But after a lackluster season, Wheaton would be released. He would spend some time with the Eagles but be released before the 2018 season began. Wheaton would retire in early 2019. 

2014: 

Dri Archer, HB

Grade: 5/10

It's interesting to think that Madden players got more out of Archer than the Steelers did, especially with Archer's 4.26s 40-yard dash time (4th fastest in NFL history) making him an absolute speed demon. Dri Archer was selected 97th overall out of Kent State. In his rookie year, he would only have 10 carries for 40 yards. In 2015, he would get more playing time in kick returns than offense. He would return the ball 14 times for an average of 25.3 yards per attempt. He would be waived in November 2015. He had a cup of coffee with the Jets and then the Bills before being released for not showing up to training camp and hasn't played since. 

2015: 

Sammie Coates, WR

Grade: 6/10

Sammie Coates was selected 87th overall out of Auburn. In his rookie season, he would only have 1 reception for 11 yards and would spend more time on special teams. 2016 however, would give him more of an opportunity with Martavis Bryant suspended for the year. He got off to a great start with 50+ yards in his first 5 games, including 139 yards and 2 touchdowns vs. the Jets. After the game against the Jets, he would break his index finger and would require stitches, which would limit his playing time -- and he would only have 2 receptions for 14 yards for the rest of the year. With the departure of Markus Wheaton in 2017, opportunities were opening for other receivers like Coates, but an injury to his knee would slow him down. The Steelers decided to trade him and a 2019 7th-round pick to the Browns in a rare AFC North trade for a 2018 6th-round pick. He would have an uneventful season with Cleveland and be released after the season ended. A day after he was released, he would sign with the Texans and only record 1 catch the entire season before being released in late 2018. He would spend time with Kansas City in 2019 before being released almost 2 months later. With his NFL career in limbo, Coates went with the XFL and joined the Houston Roughnecks but the league went under and Sammie signed with the CFL in late 2020 and played for the Roughriders before being suspended the next year. In February of 2023, he was signed by the Edmonton Elks.

2016:

Javon Hargrave, DT

Grade: 8/10

Now we're talking. Javon Hargrave was drafted 89th overall out of South Carolina State. His rookie year would start nicely with him winning the starting nose tackle position. He would play in all 16 games and finish with 27 total tackles, 2 sacks, and even a fumble recovery touchdown against Cleveland in week 11, the same in which he recorded his 1st sack. 2017 would be another good year for Hargrave. He played all 16 games and got 28 total tackles, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. At this point, Hargrave was becoming one of the key pieces on the Steelers defense. In 2018, Hargrave would have another great season. All 16 games, 40 total tackles, and 7 sacks. Just business for the Gravedigger! Next season, Hargrave would be elite once again! 4 sacks, 59 total tackles, a strip sack that led to a touchdown, and, all together now, played all 16 games. What an elite talent, surely the Steelers will resign him right? Well, he did play in Pennsylvania, just in Philadelphia. Yep, Pittsburgh couldn't re-sign him and Hargrave got signed by Philly. It's a great loss, especially considering for Pittsburgh at the moment, the defensive tackle position is in limbo. He would spend 3 years in Philly and even made a Super Bowl appearance in 2023. Now he resides in San Francisco, a very rich man, after entering free agency. 

2017:

Cameron Sutton, CB

Grade: 7/10

Cameron Sutton was selected 94th overall out of Tennessee. Sutton wouldn't participate much in his first year but he did turn some heads in a game vs. the Bengals when he covered A.J. Green and held him to zero catches, and a deflection which helped the Steelers come back and win the game. In 2018, he would get some playing time and even got his first career pick in week 1. However, he still wouldn't have a great season as he allowed a 118.8 QB rating when targeted. In 2019 however, the tune changed for Cam. In a game vs. the Chargers when they had veteran and future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers at the helm, he would get an interception, 3 pass defenses, a tackle, and when he was targeted, a perfect zero in QB rating. To end the season, Sutton would allow a QB rating of 47.0, get 12 tackles, an interception, and his first career sack. In 2020, Sutton would return to action and have a nice season. He would record 29 total tackles, a sack, an interception, 3 forced fumbles, and allowed an 88.0 QB rating. Not a bad season which Pittsburgh believed as he signed a 2-year contract. 2021 would be another nice season and record 53 total tackles, a forced fumble, 2 interceptions, and allowed a 97.7 QB rating. And finally, in 2022, Sutton would have his best season. 53 tackles, 3 interceptions, and allowed a 69.6 QB rating. After this season, well you know the story, Sutton would go to free agency and be signed by the Detroit Lions. 

James Conner, HB

Grade: 7/10

Conner is the literal definition of a fan favorite. Went from playing in Pittsburgh in college to playing in Pittsburgh in the NFL, took over the running back spot during the Le'Veon Bell drama, and he's a cancer survivor. A true inspiration! Conner was selected 105th overall out of...*breathes in*...PITT! With the departure of veteran DeAngelo Williams, the 2nd string spot was open, and it was down to Conner, Knile Davis, and Fitzgerald Toussaint. With Davis and Fitzgerald getting cut, Conner took the 2nd spot. Conner would play fine when his number was called but never did anything special. But a huge opportunity was given to him in 2017. Le'Veon Bell, the #1 running back for the Steelers, was having disputes regarding his contract and decided to hold out the season. Tomlin named Conner the starter for 2018 in hopes he can be at least close to Le'Veon's level of play. Well, he proceeded to exceed expectations! Conner would play 13 games and run for 973 yards off of 215 touches and 12 touchdowns. He would get some catches too! He caught the ball 55 times for 497 yards and 1 touchdown. The only issue would be ball control as he fumbled 4 times. But overall, a good season for the former Panther who also was selected for the 2019 Pro Bowl and was named #62 of the top 100 players from the 2019 season by his fellow players across the league.

Next season would be a bit of a downgrade for Conner, he would only play 10 games due to constant injuries and would only go over 100 yards rushing once compared to the five times he did last season. He would run 116 times and only got 464 yards and 4 touchdowns along with a fumble. A bit of a letdown compared to last year. Maybe next year will be better? In 2020, Conner would play 13 games, but wouldn't produce the same numbers he did back in 2018. He would get 169 touches for 721 yards and 6 touchdowns with 2 fumbles. With good backs coming up in the draft and the run game not being the greatest with Conner at the helm, the Steelers decided to move on from Conner. The Arizona Cardinals would sign Conner and he still resides in Arizona. Despite the way things ended, you can't deny Conner will forever be a friendly face in Pittsburgh and especially since both sides won in the end. In Arizona, Conner got better and became a touchdown machine and in Pittsburgh, the Steelers found their guy in Najee Harris. And with Conner and the Cardinals coming to Pittsburgh later in 2023, it'll be a very interesting site to see. 

2018: 

Mason Rudolph, QB

Grade: 5/10

Oh, boy. Get ready for an article inside of an article here, my fellow Yinzies and Yinzers. Mason Rudolph was selected 76th overall out of Oklahoma State. In his rookie year, he would be named 3rd string QB behind Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Dobbs and wouldn't play any snaps. 2019 however, would be quite literally the opposite. After impressive showings in his preseason starts, Rudolph would be named the backup QB to Ben Roethlisberger so Rudolph would come in only if Ben got hurt. But c'mon now, the Steelers are facing the Seahawks and so far, Ben is doing his thing. Wait, why is Ben holding his arm like that? 

Ben Roethlisberger went down for the year after injuring his arm and Mason Rudolph would get a great opportunity to show his skill. He wouldn't do too bad, he threw 2 touchdowns and 112 yards, and a pick despite the loss. In San Francisco, Rudolph would throw for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns, and a pick and would fumble the ball, as well. The Steelers would go on to lose the game. But Rudolph finally played some good football against Cincinnati. 2 touchdowns, no picks, 229 yards, and only 4 incompletions as the Steelers got their first win of the season. Next week, Rudolph would face Baltimore and get knocked out by Earl Thomas and have to enter concussion protocol, and be taken over by the greatest QB of all time, Devlin "Duck" Hodges. Rudolph would return in a game against Miami and continue to do his thing and even go on a 3-game win streak until Mason went to Cleveland and wouldn't perform well and throw 4 interceptions in a 21-7 loss. And as I'm reporting from the sideline, the final play of the game will be a pass to Trey Edmunds. Despite these teams being hated rivals of the AFC North, everybody is behaving quite professionally. Wait, why did Myles Garrett take off Mason Rudolph's helmet?

Alright, I feel like most people know the story by now so I'll keep it brief. In a scuffle from a late tackle by Myles Garrett to Rudolph, Garrett would take off Rudolph's helmet and in the scuffle, Garrett would whack Rudolph's head with the helmet. This would result in a huge fight that cleared both sides' benches. With guard David Decastro trying to restrain Garrett, Center Maurkice Pouncey started throwing punches and even kicked at Garrett. While this was going on, Larry Ogunjobi, who is currently a Steeler, pushed Rudolph down. 3 players were kicked out of the game, Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, and Maurkice Pouncey. The aftermath was that Garrett would be suspended the whole season, Ogunjobi would be suspended for one game, and Pouncey would be suspended for two games. The fines that were given out would be 250K each for both the Steelers and Browns organizations, Mason Rudolph was fined $50,000, Garrett was fined $45,623, Maurkice Pouncey was fined $25,096, and an additional 30 players were fined $3,507 each for entering the fight area. It is safe to say that Myles Garrett didn't win the Walter Payton Man of the Year award that year. 

After the Cleveland game, Mason Rudolph would resume action as starting QB against the winless Bengals and would struggle only throwing 85 yards and a pick and have a QB rating of 39.8. And after the 4-pick fiasco from last week and now struggling against a winless team, Mike Tomlin would bench Rudolph in the middle of the game and put in the greatest QB of all time, Hodges. And I'm not even lying when I tell you, literally the first drive, Hodges would throw a 79-yard touchdown to James Washington, Rudolph's main target in college for some salt in the wound. The Steelers would go on to win the game. Mason Rudolph wouldn't come back until a game vs. the Jets but would suffer a shoulder injury after throwing a touchdown and 129 yards. He would be placed on the IR to end his season. 

After the wild 2019 season, Rudolph would only start once in 2020 when Big Ben was back to full health. And it was against which team? Cleveland. You can't make this up! This game would go over A LOT more smoothly than last time though, Rudolph would have a good game. He threw over 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception and he didn't, you know, almost get murdered this time. Great improvement! Next year, Rudolph would get another start after Ben caught COVID and faced the winless Lions and with Rudolph's track record, fans were quite nervous. However, Rudolph would lead the Steelers down the field and score on the opening drive for the first time that season. And after all that wonderful stuff, the Steelers went on to...tie! Great stuff! This would be the final game Rudolph would start as he wouldn't play a snap next season despite the QB controversy between Trubisky and Pickett and with his contract up, he is now a free agent. What a frickin' career so far! 

Chukwuma Okorafor, OL

Grade: 6/10

Chukwuma Okorafor was selected 92nd overall out of Western Michigan. He wouldn't play much until an injury to Marcus Gilbert and Matt Feiler put him in against the Broncos. Which funny enough, was the name of his college team. Unfortunately, his first start didn't go so well as he allowed a sack, got penalized once, and allowed a few hurries here and there. Next year, Okorafor would get one start again after an injury to Ramon Foster, and this time against the Rams. Once again, he struggled. Allowing a sack, a QB hit, two hurries, and got penalized once. In 2020, Okorafor would be granted the start at offensive tackle. He would play better and showed improvement since his last time out. He played all 16 games, allowed 3 sacks off of 1,033 snaps, and was penalized 5 times. In 2021, he would resume his starting role and would play 16 games of 17, and would allow 2 sacks off 1,078 snaps, and would be penalized 11 times. In 2022, he would sign a 3-year contract extension. In that year, he would play all 17 games, allowed 3 sacks off of 1,159 snaps, and was penalized 4 times. With Okorafor looking like he'll resume his starting role in 2023, have the Steeler fans seen the best of him, or is the former 3rd round pick out of Western Michigan just getting started? 

2019:

Diontae Johnson, WR

Grade: 8/10

Diontae Johnson was selected 66th overall out of Toledo. And considering he was the earliest pick from the Antonio Brown trade, a lot of hope went into the former Toledo Rocket. And it makes sense he's from the Rockets because he's been going up like a one since he was drafted! In his rookie year, he showed he can go with the best. Scoring 5 touchdowns, racking up 680 yards off 59 receptions, and even scoring a punt return touchdown against Arizona. In his sophomore year, he would only get better. With 88 receptions, 923 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns, it was clear Johnson was due for a takeover. And with Juju Smith-Schuster getting injured, Johnson was the #1 receiver in 2021. Johnson would take this opportunity and literally run with it! 107 catches, 1,161 yards, 8 touchdowns, and would make his first Pro Bowl! But for next year Johnson would be a bit of a downgrade. Despite a new 2-year contract, Johnson would get 86 catches, 882 yards, and no touchdowns. These still aren't bad numbers but some fans have been asking for him to be traded but cut him a bit of slack, a new QB throwing to him, and a rising star in George Pickens getting some love. It's a whole new system for the Steelers offense but it's clear Johnson has a lot more in the tank so we'll find out how he'll adjust in 2023. The best 3rd round pick of the past decade? Might be a bit debatable but I'll give it to him! 

2020:

Alex Highsmith, OLB

Grade: 8/10

Alex Highsmith was selected 102nd overall out of Charlotte. His first year would go well. In just 2 weeks, he would get his first career pick vs. the Ravens and first career sack vs. the Cowboys. He would get 43 total tackles and 2 sacks in his first season despite only playing 440 snaps. Next year would open up some opportunities for Highsmith though. With the departure of Bud Dupree, the starting job would go to Highsmith. Highsmith would play well, getting 8 sacks, 76 total tackles, and a forced fumble. While he played well, T.J. Watt would always be the outside linebacker getting the love, unless Alex Highsmith did something crazy. Wouldn't you know, that's exactly what he did! In week 1, T.J. Watt would go down with a pectoral injury and now the spotlight would be on Highsmith for the moment. Highsmith proceeded to have the season of his life! Highsmith would get 15 sacks, 47 total tackles, and 5 forced fumbles! Seriously, did Watt give him his abilities while he was gone? And now the Steelers have a game-breaking duo on their squad.

2021:

Kendrick Green, OL

Grade: 4/10

Kendrick Green was selected 87th overall out of Illinois. Going into the 2021 season, Green was named starting center after facing little competition and also rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way when he selected to wear #53 after Maurkice Pouncey just retired last year who wore #53 and was a Steelers legend. So if he was picking a legend's number, especially so early after they retired, they HAD to have a good season. Would he have a good season? Well, he was moved to guard after this season so probably not. Overall, it was a rough season for Green. He allowed 3 sacks, 4 QB hits, and 11 hurries. And also had 9 penalties to his name, and most of them were holding. He would spend next season on the bench at guard as it seems the Steelers have found their starting linemen. 

2022: 

DeMarvin Leal, DE

Grade: 5/10

Leal was selected 84th overall out of Texas A&M. Leal's rookie year would mostly be spent on the bench but he would see some action. He would get 15 total tackles and even break up 3 passes! Not a bad start for his career, we'll see what he can bring to the table in his sophomore year. 

For the Round 4 review, click here: Steelers Last Decade of Drafting: Round 4 Review (yinzercrazy.com)

For the Round 5 review, click here: Steelers Last Decade of Drafting: Round 5 Review (yinzercrazy.com)

For the Round 6 review, click here: Steelers Last Decade of Drafting: Round 6 Review (yinzercrazy.com)

For the Round 7 review, click here: Steelers Last Decade of Drafting: Round 7 Review (yinzercrazy.com)

That's all for the 3rd Round review, check back next when we go over the 2nd Round featuring the likes of Juju Smith Schuster, Stephon Tuitt, and the infamous Le'Veon Bell! See yinz there!