Steel Curtain Rising “grades” drafts 5 years after the fact, in keeping with Chuck Noll’s belief that it took 5 years to judge a draft.
Travel and work commitments kept me from grading Steelers 2019 and 2018 draft classes, so this spring we’ll grade those draft classes, starting with 2019.
Steelers rookie Devin Bush on the fields of St. Vincents. Photo Credit: AP, via Yahoo! Sports
First Round – Devin Bushy Jr., The Third Time Non-Charm
Kevin Colbert’s track record of trading up was excellent. In 2004 he got Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and in 2006 he got Super Bowl XLIII’s MVP Santonio Holmes.
Going into the 2019 NFL Draft the Steelers defense was still reeling from the loss of Ryan Shazier 15 months earlier. Kevin Colbert needed to be aggressive and traded up 2nd and 3rd round picks to draft Devin Bush.
- 10 months later, Colbert’s bold move with Bush appeared to be a brilliant gamble.
Believe it or not, Devin Bush had a solid, if not spectacular rookie year.
Happier Times: Rookie Devin Bush dives for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com
He registered one sack, made 2 interceptions, batted away 4 passes, made 109 tackles, recovered 4 fumbles and returned one for a touchdown. Looking beyond the numbers, Bush made splash plays in a timely manner – a halmark of greatness. Bush started his sophomore year strong, making a sack and batting away 3 passes before tearing his ACL in early in his fifth game.
- Devin Bush was never the same.
Whether his ACL tear never fully healed or the injury spooked him, Bush was a shadow of his rookie year flash, ultimately losing snaps to 7th round rookie Mark Robinson late in his final season. Grade: Bust
Third Round – Diontae Johnson, The Failed POC
Diontae Johnson had a strong rookie year, appearing in 16 games and making 12 starts. His catch totals went from 59, to 88 to 107. That prompted Omar Khan to give him a “prove it contract” in the spring of 2022.
- Alas, Johnson failed his “Proof of Concept” but certainly wasn’t a total loss.
Johnson had a solid 2022, catching 86 passes but no touchdowns. In 2023, that number dipped to 51 as Johnson became a sideline and locker room distraction. The Steelers traded him, and Johnson ended up playing for Carolina, Baltimore and Houston wearing four jerseys in less than 12 months.
Diontae Johnson beats Robert Jackson for a big gain. Photo Credit: Caitlyn Epes, Steelers.com
Getting 67 starts, nearly 400 catches and 25 touchdowns out of a third round pick is pretty good. Grade: Quality Value Pick
Third Round – Justin Layne, Failer of “The Idiot Test”
The Steelers drafted Justin Layne with their 2nd 3rd round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and got 3 season out of him, with his performance peaking in 2020, when he logged 11% of the defensive snaps.
His most noticeable act with the team was getting arrested for speeding and smoking marijuana while driving, thereby failing the idiot test. Grade: Bust
Fourth Round – Benny Snell Jr., 15 Minutes of Fame for “Benny Snell Football”
The Steelers drafted Benny Snell in the 4th round of the 2019 taking a step towards restablishing a three-deep running backs room. Over 4 years Snell made 5 starts and appeared in 67 games, netting just under 1000 yards. Coming off the bench, “Benny Snell Football” paved the way for Kenny Pickett’s first comeback win on Monday Night Football against the Colts.
Benny Snell rips off a long one. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
In this scribe’s estimation, Snell proved he was a worthy RB No. 3. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan felt differently. So did the rest of the NFL. Grade: Serviceable Pickup
Fifth Round – Zach Gentry, Catcher of Big Ben’s Last Pass
The Steelers drafted Zach Gentry as a project, as he was converting to tight end from quarterback early in his college career. Injuries complicated that transition, but by his 3rd season he on track to becoming a serviceable 2nd tight end.
Zach Gentry catching one of Ben Roethlisberger’s last passes. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
He failed to build on that progress in his 4th year, but he’ll always hold the distinction of being the person who caught Ben Roethlisberger’s last pass in the 2021 Wild Card loss to the Chiefs. Grade: Serviceable Pickup
Sixth Round – Sutton Smith, Who?
The Steelers cut Sutton Smith in training camp. He spent a few days on their practice squad that November and got into a few games in 2021 after bouncing around to various practice squads. Grade: Bust
Sixth Round — Isaiah Buggs, Not Worth Bugging You About
Isaiah Buggs was one of those players whose highlight reel made you wonder you wondered why he lasted to the 6th round. The Steelers stuck with Buggs for 3 seasons, during which he appeared in 29 games and started 7 of those.
Buggs flashed some potential in those starts, but he had other issues. That was evident when the Steelers cut him heading into Ben Roethlisberger’s regular season finale with the playoffs on the line. He went to Detroit in 2022, had a decent year that earned him a 2nd contract, but the Lions cut him at the end of his second season right before the playoffs due to off the field issues. Grade: Disappointment
Sixth Round — Ulysees Gilbert, Ulyesses Gilbert’s No Grant
Ulysees Gilbert was one of those “…but he’s got potential” draft picks that never found his grove. He appeared in 28 games for the Steelers, totaling 69 defensive snaps, although he did log over 500 on special teams. Grade: Bust
Seventh Round — Derwin Gray, Another Nameless Terrapin
The Steelers took a flyer on Derwin Gray and he appeared in 5 games, playing 25 snaps on offense and 11 on special teams in 2020 after doing a one-year apprenticeship on the practice squad.
Overall Grade for the Steelers 2019 Draft Class – F
By the time the 2019 NFL Draft arrived, the Steelers had been in “Reload While We Have Ben Roethlisberger Mode” for a while. Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin of course had no way of knowing that Ben Roethlisberger was six months away from a career-transforming injury.
But even without that knowledge, Ben Roethlisberger had just turned 37, making 2019 a make or break draft for the “Reload for Roethlisberger” strategy.
- And Colbert and Tomlin blew it.
In Snell and Gentry the Steelers got two serviceable pickups. Neither man played a day of a second contract. Diontae Johnson did earn a second contract, but he proved himself to be anything but a long-term answer at wide out.
Trading up to get Devin Bush was brutal mistake which the franchise perhaps hasn’t fully recovered from. Overall Grade: F
