Steelers Last Decade of Drafting: Round 4 Review

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

It's time for round 4 my fellow Yinzers! We're now getting to the much more promising rounds. While this is still technically a mid-round, it's still a very talented collection of players. Some 4th round Steelers that come to mind are Ike Taylor, Larry Foote, and the legendary John Stallworth. But since 2013, there have been 12 fourth-round draft picks, and I'm going to grade them all! Have they disappointed, or did they put the steal in Steelers? Let's get started!

2013: 

Shamarko Thomas, S

Grade: 5/10

Shamarko Thomas was selected 111th overall out of Syracuse. Thomas wouldn't see a ton of playing time in his rookie season but then again, he was behind the legendary Troy Polamalu, so fair enough. In 2014, he would be the main backup to Polamalu and would spend the majority of his time on special teams. He played his role well, forcing two fumbles. The 2015 season is here, and with Polamalu's retirement, Thomas believed he had the starting job, but with a rough preseason, he would be back up once again to Will Allen and would primarily be on special teams. In 2016, Allen is gone, which provided another opportunity for Thomas to become the starter. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the case, as Robert Golden would be named the starter. Shamarko would be put on IR towards the end of the season and 2016 would be his final year with the Steelers. He would have stints with the Jets, Bills, Colts, and Broncos before joining the XFL and being on the Guardians and then the Defenders. Then lastly joining the CFL and playing for the Redblacks. 

Landry Jones, QB

Grade: 6/10

The man who gave the Browns 0-16, ladies and gentlemen! Jones was selected 115th overall out of Oklahoma. His career wouldn't get started until 2015, however. With Roethlisberger injured and Michael Vick down, it was up to Jones to lead the Steelers offense against the Cardinals. He would throw 2 touchdowns in a 25-13 win. The undefeated streak wouldn't last long though as next week, he faced off against the Chiefs. He would throw a touchdown but also 2 interceptions. After that game, Big Ben would return and play the rest of the season. The Steelers would later face off against the Bengals in a wild-card matchup. Big Ben would get banged up and Jones would come in and throw a nearly costly interception before Ben would come back and shockingly win the Steelers the game. In 2016, Jones would be the primary backup QB to Roethlisberger. He would get a start versus the Patriots after a torn meniscus took out Roethlisberger. He threw a touchdown and a pick, in a 27-16 loss. Hope is not lost for Jones though! He can end the season with a dub against Cleveland in the season finale with the Steelers resting their starters. Jones would play a legit good game and throw 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 277 yards, and beat Cleveland in overtime with a 27-24 score.

In 2017, Roethlisberger would be injury-less, and Jones would only play 1 game. The Steelers were resting their starters in the season finale against the Browns. Sounds familiar? However, there would be stakes in this game. If the Browns lose this game, they will become the first team since the 2008 Lions to go 0-16. Landry Jones would lead the team to a 28-24 win after a costly 4th down drop by Browns receiver Corey Coleman. A very Browns way to go out, indeed. This would be Jones's last game though, with the Steelers drafting Mason Rudolph and the Steelers would release him. He would have stints with the Jaguars and Raiders before being the first player signed to the XFL and would join the Dallas Renegades. The Steelers would reach out to the XFL to see if they can resign Jones with Roethlisberger going down with a season-ending injury but the XFL would block the organization. How are you going to ghost a 6-time Super Bowl-winning franchise like that? 

2014:

Martavis Bryant, WR

Grade: 8/10

Fair warning to everyone, I'm about to tell you the happiest and saddest story ever. Martavis Bryant was selected 118th overall out of Clemson. He would have a very successful rookie year. His first reception was a touchdown against the Texans. After this game, he would score 2 touchdowns in 2 consecutive games, and set a record for the most touchdowns in his first 3 games. The next game would be 143 receiving yards and a touchdown vs. the Jets. Bryant, safe to say, started with a bang in his first year. 26 receptions, 549 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 21.1 average yards per reception (first in the league for receivers).

Bryant would however be forced to sit out his first four games of his second year due to violating the NFL's substance abuse policy -- and this would become a theme. He would make his debut however in Week 6 in another great performance with 6 receptions, 137 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Bryant would stay consistent in 2015, posting a 178 yard game against the Browns, and even made an incredible touchdown catch vs. Cincinnati in the wild-card playoff game. His stats toward the end of the season would be 50 receptions, 765 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Bryant has been incredible his first two seasons, and Steeler Nation was ready to welcome him into the Killer B's with Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell.

That was until he was suspended by the league for another substance abuse infraction and this time, he was suspended for the entire 2016 season. Bryant would return in 2017, but wouldn't have the same spark as he did in 2014-2015. He wouldn't get over 100 yards in any game, had more drops than touchdowns, and would start some drama between him and Juju Smith-Schuster. Fans were clamoring for fan favorite Schuster to start over Bryant and he fired back -- and said that Schuster wasn't better than him and then asked for a trade. When the season ended, he had 50 receptions, 603 yards, and 3 touchdowns. He would get his wish for being traded and go to the Raiders for a 3rd round pick. His time there would be uneventful and he would hurt his knee in Week 10 and be placed on the IR. A week later, he would be suspended for violating the terms of his reinstatement. His NFL time would come to an end and he would be signed in the CFL for the Toronto Argonauts but wouldn't play a snap after being suspended for not reporting to training camp. He would join the Edmonton Elks but was released before the season started. Was he the best 4th round player? Yes. But in the words of Chazz Palminteri, “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever.”

2015: 

Doran Grant, CB

Grade: N/A

Doran Grant was selected 121st overall out of Ohio State. He would spend his first year on the Steelers practice squad before being released next year as part of final roster cuts. He would spend time with the Bills, Giants, Jaguars, and Bears. He would, later on, join the AAF and play for the Atlanta Legends before the league ceased operations. He would then join the XFL and play for the DC Defenders before the league suspended operations. His final league would be the CFL and play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before the league canceled operations due to the pandemic. 

2016: 

Jerald Hawkins, OL

Grade: 5/10

Jerald Hawkins was selected 123rd overall out of LSU. His first year would be a bust with being placed on the IR for the whole year due to a shoulder injury. In 2017, Hawkins would be the backup tackle behind Alejandro Villanueva. He would play 47 snaps that year and not allow any sacks. In 2018, he would suffer another season-ending injury. The Steelers would trade him in 2019 to the Buccaneers for a 2021 7th round draft pick. He would have one season in Tampa Bay before going to Houston and then rejoining Pittsburgh in 2020 due to injuries in the tackle position. He would play 74 snaps and allow zero sacks before being released again toward the end of the season. He would join the Patriots and Saints before joining the CFL with the Roughriders. 

2017:

Josh Dobbs, QB

Grade: 4/10

Ladies and gentlemen, the man who I thought was going to be Ben's successor! Josh Dobbs was selected 135th overall out of Tennessee. His role in his rookie year was to be the 3rd string QB behind Roethlisberger and Landry Jones. His performances in preseason were decent but not starter material. He wouldn't see the regular season field until Roethlisberger had an injury and Dobbs had to take over for a few plays until Ben came back. Dobbs threw 4/9 and an interception in his only regular-season appearance for the Steelers before being traded to Jacksonville. The Steelers would re-sign him one more time before he was placed on the IR for the 2021 season. He would spend some time with the Browns, Lions, Titans (even play a bit in the regular season), and got signed again by the Browns. 

2019:

Benny Snell, HB

Grade: 5/10

Snell yeah! Benny Snell was selected 122nd overall out of Kentucky. His rookie year would be silent until Week 6 against the Chargers when he went 17 touches for 75 yards. He wouldn't get a good number of touches until 6 weeks later in a Week 12 matchup versus the Bengals where he had 21 touches for 98 yards. He benefit from that the next 2 weeks where he got 16 touches in both weeks, going for 63 yards and a touchdown and then 41 yards and a fumble the next week. In the season finale, he went 18 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown, and introduced a badass mouthpiece, too! In year 2, he would show flashes in Week 1 taking over for an injured James Conner and going over 100 yards, but didn't participate much more until Week 12, where he got 60 yards rushing and then 84 yards and a touchdown in Week 15. Year three would show little participation, with Snell only getting 36 touches the entire year. This is likely due to the Steelers just getting Najee Harris and wanting to get him involved as much as possible. Last year, Snell would once again get little participation besides one game in Indianapolis where he would get the ball 12 times and run for 62 yards and a touchdown. So overall, Snell has shown flashes of greatness at running back but ball security has held him back for he has 3 fumbles, and also Jaylen Warren is a solid RB2. We'll see if Snell will resign for the 2023 campaign.

2020:

Anthony McFarland, HB

Grade: 5/10

Anthony McFarland was selected 124th overall out of Maryland. The short but quick back hasn't been given a huge role on the team but has shown he can make explosive runs. In his debut against the Texans in 2020, he had 2 runs go for 10+ yards. However, that would be his only highlight of the year. Next year, he would only get the ball 3 times for just 3 yards. And in 2022, he would spend the year on the practice squad with the running back room being filled nicely with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Benny Snell. McFarland has unique abilities and we'll see if Tomlin and company will exploit them for 2023. 

Kevin Dotson, OL

Grade: 6/10

Kevin Dotson was selected 135th overall out of Louisiana. Dotson would get a few good snaps early on in his rookie year, playing 358 snaps and not allowing a single sack. Next year, Dotson would be named starting left guard. His sophomore year would be a mix. He would play well in spurts, but he also allowed 3 sacks in just 9 games. He would also get injured in Week 10 and be out for the year. Next year, he had his struggles at times, but his durability proved to be an essential part of the offensive line. He would play all games, and allow only 4 sacks. When the Steelers needed someone on the line to improve the most, Dotson was there for the early part of his career, and if he gets another chance down the line, I'm one of the few believers that he could go down as one of the better 4th-round picks in recent Steeler history. 

2021: 

Dan Moore, OL

Grade: 5/10

Dan Moore was drafted 128th overall out of Texas A&M. He was immediately put to work and named starting left tackle in his rookie year. He would play every game and allow 7 sacks and was average for the run and pass blocking. Next year, he would allow 7 sacks again and be called for 10 penalties. He would improve in his game but is still questionable as a starter. With the Steelers signing a few linemen in free agency, could Moore be replaced soon or will the signings make Moore play better? Because with a new young QB at the helm, the Steelers would be smart to try and keep him around as long as possible and that means protecting him with defensive linemen getting stronger in not just the league but the AFC North division, itself. 

Buddy Johnson, LB

Grade: 5/10

Buddy Johnson was selected 140th overall out of Texas A&M. He would spend his first year often on the bench. He would only play 6 snaps and not record any stats except a missed tackle. Next year, Johnson would be waived before the season before being signed by the 49ers practice squad and then released but now resides on the Texans practice squad.

2022:

Calvin Austin, WR

Grade: N/A

Calvin Austin was selected 138th overall out of Memphis. His rookie year wouldn't be meant to be however as he was put on the IR and wouldn't be taken off in time. But there's still a lot of hope for the former Memphis Tiger. He ran the 3rd fastest 40-yard dash time for a wide receiver (5th overall), with a dash time of 4.32 seconds. Still a lot of football left in him! 

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

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

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

And that's the 4th Round! Check back next week when we take a look at the Steelers 3rd Round Picks from the last decade!