By G.Stryker
SteelerNation.com
There are drafts when the Pittsburgh Steelers move, make trades, and acquire players, there are also times when they just barely miss out on players due to the moves of other teams. As we revisit different Steelers drafts, we will take a look inside into what made those moments both special and memorable.
In 1990, the Steelers had their eyes on drafting a tight end and fell in love with the extremely athletic, mountain of a man in Eric Green. Since they were drafting at the 17 spot and Green was a small school athlete from Liberty University, the Steelers were open to trading back a few places to get their guy.
The Dallas Cowboys were rebuilding and in desperate need of a running back. The Steelers used the 7th pick in the draft the year before to acquire Tim Worley, so running back wasn’t a priority for them. Dallas was drafting behind the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers, who held three consecutive picks before Dallas. The Cowboys knew if they wanted their guy, they had to move ahead of those teams, and the Steelers were more than willing to oblige.
The Cowboys gave their 3rd round pick to the Steelers and swapped first rounders to move up and get a guy named Emmitt Smith. He’d go on to become the leading running back in NFL history for touchdowns and yardage, which of course, landed him in the Hall of Fame. In hindsight, the Steelers staying put and taking Emmitt would have been ideal, but they thought they had their starting running back after Worley led their team in rushing the previous year. Sadly, Worley would never match his rookie season production of 770 yards and five touchdowns. He’d miss five games in 1990, 14 in '91, and was suspended the entire '92 season due to missing two mandatory drug tests. After five games in '93, Worley was traded to the Chicago Bears. Tim’s legacy with Pittsburgh would be fumbling the football 19 times in 33 games.
The Cowboys were right to move up, because Green Bay and Atlanta both drafted running backs Darryl Thompson and Steve Broussard respectively. Neither of them would go on to be prominent NFL rushers. Dallas made the right choice jumping ahead to get the most productive running back in NFL history. Emmit was also a cornerstone for the Cowboys dynasty which would win half of the Super Bowls in the next six seasons.
The Steelers did fine moving back. Eric Green was a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties who were either too slow, or too small to stop him from catching the football. Eric would be named to two Pro Bowls in '93 and '94. It is tough to find a Pro Bowler anywhere in the draft, so this was no small feat. The Steelers used the pick they acquired from Dallas in the third round to add nose tackle Craig Veasey. Craig bounced around the league for six years, playing mostly spot duty here and there, but never became a full-time starter.
To say the Steelers didn’t do well moving back is a matter of perspective. Sure, they got the tight end they coveted, but in doing so, they lost out on a chance to get the top running back in NFL history, and even worse, allowed the Dallas Cowboys to have the honors of drafting Emmitt Smith. Furthermore, six years later, Emmitt Smith and the Dallas Cowboys would beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX capping their third Super Bowl victory in their dynasty. A little insult to injury for the Steelers since the Cowboys got the better end of this draft day trade. Just goes to show you, trading back in a draft, isn’t always the right thing to do.
Who would you rather of had, Steeler Nation? Emmitt Smith or Eric Green? Let us know in the comments below.
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