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.
The Steelers were very active in the 1999 NFL Draft; trading up, trading back, and trading players to accumulate picks. We’ll start at the end of the draft with an exchange of Browns. The Steelers picked up cornerback JB Brown as a free agent in 1997 from the Miami Dolphins, where he was a starter from '92-'95. JB only played on special teams with the Steelers and recorded five tackles. In March, the Steelers traded him to the Arizona Cardinals for a 7th round draft pick. Not a lot of draft capital for a player, but surprising that the Steelers were able to manage a trade for his services, considering he contributed very little in 1998. JB would play one year in Arizona before finishing the last two seasons of his career in Detroit. The Steelers ended up using that 7th round pick on kicker Kris Brown, who would be their starting kicker for the next three years. Kris would continue onto the Houston Texans where he played another eight years before finishing his career in San Diego. Although Kris had up and down moments, the Steelers were able to find a 12 year NFL veteran with a 7th round pick.
Steve Conley was the linebacker the Steelers drafted in the 3rd round in 1996 as a part of the trade to acquire Jerome Bettis. In 1998, Conley was traded to the Colts for a 5th round pick. Conley would only play one more game with the Colts before leaving football for good. The Steelers used that 5th round pick to acquire tight end Jerame Tuman. Tuman would spend the next nine years on the Steelers roster as a reliable blocking tight end in run sets.
With a glut of picks in this draft, the Steelers chose to trade two 5th rounders to the Oakland Raiders to bank a 3rd round pick in the following year’s draft. The Raiders chose inside linebacker Eric Barton with their first pick. Eric went on to have a long and productive career with five years over 100 tackles in 12 seasons for three teams. The next pick was packaged in a trade with Green Bay to acquire guard Craig Heimburger. Craig only played in 13 games in his two year career and never started. The Steelers used that 2000 3rd round pick to select cornerback Hank Poteat. He made an immediate impact on the Steelers as a returner and gunner for the three seasons he spent in Pittsburgh. Hank would enjoy a 10 year career mostly serving as a spot starter and sub package defensive back for the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns. Barton is clearly the best player in this exchange, but the Steelers still had some nice value from Poteat as a special teamer.
The Minnesota Vikings really wanted to move up to pick #44 in the 2nd round and found a trade partner with the Steelers. The Vikings used that pick for tight end/fullback Jim Kleinsasser. Jim would be a reliable role player as he enjoyed all 13 years of his playing career in Minnesota. The Steelers received a 2nd, 3rd, and 5th round pick for this exchange. The 5th rounder was given to Oakland for the trade mentioned earlier when the Steelers acquired Hank Poteat. The 2nd round pick was used to draft the 6’4” free safety Scott Shields. Sadly, his career only lasted for two seasons as he was only used as a spot starter and special teams player. The 3rd round pick was the crown jewel of the Steelers '99 draft: defensive lineman Joey Porter from Colorado State University. Porter would move to outside linebacker in the NFL to start for the Steelers defense. Porter would play his next eight seasons for the black and gold as he climbed to #2 for sacks all time by a Steeler with 60. Joey was a vocal leader and huge part of the Super Bowl XL playoff run and championship. He played 13 years in the NFL for the Steelers, Dolphins, and Cardinals, where he was named to four All Pro teams and four Pro Bowls while totaling 98 sacks. This would be the most total sacks by any drafted Steeler since sacks became a recorded statistic.
With 11 total picks in this draft, the Steelers also added running back Amos Zereoue, wide receiver Troy Edwards and defensive end Aaron Smith. The Steelers also added long snapper Matt Schneck as an undrafted rookie free agent, who would spend the next six seasons as the Steelers special teams center. In total, this was a very good draft where the Steeles acquired a lot of players to help them ultimately win a championship in six years.
Who do you think was the best pick for the Steelers in 1999? Let us know below!
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