The Pittsburgh Steelers had a really impressive 2023 draft class by selecting Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., and Keeanu Benton in the first two rounds while adding Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig later on in the draft. However, in a lot of recent years, the Steelers have not been good at utilizing their top picks in the draft on an NFL field. There have been many busts who didn't pan out in Pittsburgh and are now with different organizations.
Steph Chambers / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers badly missed on their 2016 first-round pick, Artie Burns. Who is consider an all-time bust for the city of Pittsburgh.
Steelers Recent Top Picks Inactive For Week 6
The Steelers had a rough run of drafts in the 2010s as they had multiple where their top pick ended up being a non-contributor for the organization. Two of the Steelers first-round picks from the 2010s are now playing for the Seattle Seahawks after the Steelers never offered them a second contract.
Artie Burns and Devin Bush Jr. will both be inactive for Seattle in Week 6. Another top draft selection by the Steelers who is inactive in Week 6 is Chase Claypool, the newly acquired receiver for the Miami Dolphins.
Miami Herald
Steelers Former Receiver Chase Claypool
The Steelers first-round pick in 2016 was Burns, a cornerback out of the University Of Miami. He was selected with the 25th overall pick by the Steelers. Burns had a decent rookie year in Pittsburgh as he recorded three interceptions and quickly became the team's starting cornerback in the middle of the season after he had missed most of training camp and the preseason due to a quad injury. He played in all 16 games and started nine of them. Burns slowly declined over the next few years in Pittsburgh as he slowly lost his starting cornerback job.
In 2019, the Steelers announced they would not pick up his fifth-year option which made Burns a free agent after the 2019 NFL season. He chose to sign with the Chicago Bears in free agency in 2020 and played for them for two seasons before signing with the Seahawks in 2022. He re-signed with Seattle in 2023, but was cut in training camp and started the year on the practice squad before being activated in Week 3. He is now inactive for their Week 6 game due to a hamstring injury, which isn't good for a player who started the year on the practice squad.
Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers ILB Devin Bush
Bush was a 2019 first-round pick for the Steelers out of Michigan. The Steelers traded up 10 spots in the draft to select him with the 10th overall pick. Pittsburgh desperately needed an inside linebacker after losing Ryan Shazier in 2017, and Bush was thought to be the answer. Bush had an impressive rookie year as he made the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In his second season in Pittsburgh, Bush unfortunately tore his ACL in Week 6.
Over the next two seasons Bush never got back to the way he was playing as a rookie, and it became clear that he and the Steelers would eventually go their separate ways. Bush began speaking out against the organization and the team decided not to pick up his fifth-year option which would make him a free agent after the 2022 campaign. He chose to sign with Seattle, and immediately started to trash the Steelers on various podcasts. He is now an inactive for Seattle in Week 6, with no injury designation.
Justin K. Aller / Getty Images
Steelers Wide Receiver Chase Claypool celebrates after getting a huge first down.
Claypool was the Steelers second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft which was their top pick after they included their first-round pick in the trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Claypool had a great rookie year in Pittsburgh as he made the PFWA All-Rookie Team and had 11 total touchdowns with 873 receiving yards. These are both still his career highs, as he slowly declined after his rookie year. Not only was his production on the field beginning to lack, but he also became a distraction for the Steelers and started to show his immaturity.
The Steelers had enough of this and halfway through the 2022 season the team traded him to the Chicago Bears for the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 draft. His stint in Chicago was horrible, as he didn't win a game there and often clashed with the coaching staff. This got hit traded to the Dolphins, where he has yet to play so far. This might be because he is new to the system, or just because he is buried in the depth chart. He is a healthy inactive for Miami's Week 6 game.
What do you think of the inactive Steelers top picks? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
