2009 NFL Draft. The worst in history?

[Stryker]

Before anyone else laments the fact that we missed in the 2009 NFL Draft, so did everyone else.

Why you may ask?

Because the draft was full of mediocre players and devoid of difference makers.

So mediocre in fact, that the 7th pick in that draft is the 5th or 6th best receiver on our team.

We may have had the best receiver in the draft and we got Wallace in the 3rd round. Percy Harvin has the most talent, but he lacks character and will die as an NFL journeyman since he is unlikable by his teammates. Knox was the only other WR to make a pro bowl. He did it in 2009 as a special teams player. Jeremy Maclin still has promise as he's putting together a good year while finding a way to stay healthy this year.

The best QBs in that draft were Sanchez and Stafford. Stafford is having a good year, but he's yet to win a playoff game or win any spot on a Pro Bowl ballot. Sanchez had two AFCC games in a row to start his career, now he's doing well as a backup in Philly, but at best, no one would rate these QBs as anything higher than average to slightly above average QBs.

The single best player that year might be the undrafted Arian Foster. LeSean McCoy was the only great RB drafted.

IMHO the best player in the draft that season was Alex Mack. Unger is another center putting it together now in Seattle. The only other lineman to make a pro bowl? Guard Louis Vasquez now starting for the Broncos.

The best D lineman was Orakpo who can't stay healthy and Raji who's regressed after his first 2 seasons.

Zero notable CBs or OTs.

Byrd is an All Pro at Safety and may be the best defensive player in that draft. Moore is a good safety in Atlanta.

The argument can also be made for Mathews for being the best defensive player in the draft. He's definitely the most identifiable player drafted that season. Cushing is a good LB for the Texans.

Are there any HOF potential players in this group? Mack has the best chance. Byrd and Mathews possibly can if they have another 8 years of solid contribution. And that's a BIG if.

This is a dogshit draft from top to bottom. It being 5 years since these players entered the league, it is fair to assess the talent of that draft. Sure a lot of these players still contribute as role players, but only a handful of difference makers were drafted.

It's amazing that we were even able to find one great player while drafting last that year. The fact that GB got Raji and Mathews is a miracle.

 

[hook]

Before anyone else laments the fact that we missed in the 2009 NFL Draft, so did everyone else.

The sad thing is, as bad as the '09 draft was for us, it was still better that the '08 draft. The '08 class very well might have been the worst draft in Steeler history.

Steelers 2008 draft picks:

First Round: Rashard Mendenhall, RB

Second Round: Limas Sweed, WR

Third Round: Bruce Davis, LB

Fourth Round: Tony Hills, T

Fifth Round: Dennis Dixon, WR

Sixth Round: Mike Humpal, LB

Seventh Round: Ryan Mundy, DB

 

[Ron Burgundy]

I think Mendy and Mundy are the only ones still in the NFL. Not sure about Dixon. Mundy was probably the best pick there really.

 

[Bigappleyinzer]

'09 was a pretty good draft- the problem was not being able to retain the players.


But yea- as a whole, 2009 was a bad Draft class for the NFL.

 

[FordFairLane]

I think Mendy and Mundy are the only ones still in the NFL. Not sure about Dixon. Mundy was probably the best pick there really.

Mendenhall retired at the end of last year.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Mendenhall retired at the end of last year.

Mmmkay, so we're left with Mundy in AZ. LMAO.

 

[clinton]

we might be repeating this post in 5 yrs.."the 2014 steeler draft was the worst in steeler history.."

 

[DocScott]

Mundy, a local Pittsburgh guy from Woodlawn Hills High School (Braddock), is currently with the Chicago Bears.

 

[Stryker]

Tony Hills is a backup for Dallas.

 

[POP]

The sad thing is, as bad as the '09 draft was for us, it was still better that the '08 draft. The '08 class very well might have been the worst draft in Steeler history.

Steelers 2008 draft picks:

First Round: Rashard Mendenhall, RB

Second Round: Limas Sweed, WR

Third Round: Bruce Davis, LB

Fourth Round: Tony Hills, T

Fifth Round: Dennis Dixon, WR

Sixth Round: Mike Humpal, LB

Seventh Round: Ryan Mundy, DB

My God, that is beyond horrible. We need to invent a new word to even try to describe how awful that draft class was. Even Mendy was mostly worthless.

 

[BLITZ]

I can remember thinking what a steal we got with sweed. I mean the guy slipped to the 2nd round!!! not to start this up again or anything

 

[diver]

Yea, tells you how much we really know. I thought the first 2 picks were great. Mendenhall was the best player on the field in the bowl game against USC. He was running through a bunch of future NFL players, Matthews, Cushing, Malaunga and so on. I thought he was a great pick.

Then, a few days after the draft I saw him interviewed. I had never heard him speak before. After hearing him I thought, "Oh, ****. They just drafted another Ricky Williams," and tried to put that thought out of my mind. I think that is why he fell in the draft. People talked to him. Which would explain why the Steelers took him, because if I recall, he said they never talked to him.

Sweed was a heck of a college player, too. But a lot of Texas guys just do not translate to the NFL for whatever reason.

 

[Steelerfreak]

For every Manning there is a Leaf
Bledsoe/Mirer
Couch/McNabb
Smith/Rodgers

The draft is a crap shoot.

 

[Supersteeler]

I can remember thinking what a steal we got with sweed. I mean the guy slipped to the 2nd round!!! not to start this up again or anything

Me too, I was convinced after seeing him play at Texas that he would be an animal. He had the size, speed, agility. I don't even think his hands were the problem despite the drops. It was what was on top of his shoulders. What a waste. Bruce Davis was an awful pick. Dennis Dixon wasn't a bad selection for a 5th Rounder. He was a fairly capable backup QB who started a handful of games and did enough to hold down the fort. That's on par for a decent 5th Round selection. Tony Hills was a bad pick in the 4th too.

Mendy had all the skills and put up a few 1,000+ seasons but he could have been a lot better if his heart and head were in it. Even in interviews he never struck me as a guy who loved football, which in hindsight he didn't.

That is probably a D overall IMO. Mundy and Dixon save it from being an F.

 

[Supersteeler]

My God, that is beyond horrible. We need to invent a new word to even try to describe how awful that draft class was. Even Mendy was mostly worthless.

No, he was a top 15 back in the league easily for a couple year stretch..now that I think about it I think he was possibly Top 10 or 12 for a year or two. It just didn't last too long. I mean he had 1,273 yards and 13 TD's in 2010 and another 1,000+ and 7 TD's in '09. That's not what I'd call worthless.

He just didn't love the game enough to working and developing. He retired at 26 years old...what should have been the prime of his career. Like someone already said, he was Ricky Williams with less talent.

 

[SteelerFan448]

No, he was a top 15 back in the league easily for a couple year stretch..now that I think about it I think he was possibly Top 10 or 12 for a year or two. It just didn't last too long. I mean he had 1,273 yards and 13 TD's in 2010 and another 1,000+ and 7 TD's in '09. That's not what I'd call worthless.

He just didn't love the game enough to work at his game to keep developing.

I kind of expected him to do for the Steelers what Le'Veon Bell is doing now.

 

[Drink IRON City]

If this is all adding up to somehow giving Coach Tomlin a pass on that draft. lets ask him what he thinks......


Coach Tomlin : "You can't do that"





Salute the nation

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Mendy had all the skills and put up a few 1,000+ seasons but he could have been a lot better if his heart and head were in it. Even in interviews he never struck me as a guy who loved football, which in hindsight he didn't.

I read someplace once, ESPN The Mag maybe, that some guys play simply because they are good at it and make a lot of money and can't wait to get some bank and retire.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I read someplace once, ESPN The Mag maybe, that some guys play simply because they are good at it and make a lot of money and can't wait to get some bank and retire.

It didn't take much to see that Mendenhall didn't love football. That is a failure in the evaluation process.

 

[Supersteeler]

It didn't take much to see that Mendenhall didn't love football. That is a failure in the evaluation process.

Well if he had a plan to play for awhile and make some money he could have very easily misled teams to make them think he loved it to make sure he was drafted as high as possible. Wouldn't be too hard and he would be dumb if he didn't attempt to get them to believe that.

 

[Superman]

It didn't take much to see that Mendenhall didn't love football. That is a failure in the evaluation process.

his talent alone made him a first rounder. from my memory, we didn't even bother interviewing him, thinking he wouldn't fall to us. I believe we were leaning towards defense in that draft when Mendenhall fell to us.

 

[ExUSAF]

No, he was a top 15 back in the league easily for a couple year stretch..now that I think about it I think he was possibly Top 10 or 12 for a year or two. It just didn't last too long. I mean he had 1,273 yards and 13 TD's in 2010 and another 1,000+ and 7 TD's in '09. That's not what I'd call worthless.

He just didn't love the game enough to working and developing. He retired at 26 years old...what should have been the prime of his career. Like someone already said, he was Ricky Williams with less talent.

I agree - you want to talk about worthless running backs talk about Tim Worley, our first round pick in 89 - 7th overall, or Greg Hawthorne. our first round pick in 1979, or Walter Abercrombie, our first round pick in 1982 - Mendenhall probably exceeded their output combined.

 

[madinsomniac]

I forget if it was 2008 or 2009 but when they looked back 5 or 6 years after there was only like 28 players still on the team that drafted them and the majority weren't starters... both years were brutal on talent. This past year was awfully deep on talent. Outside of Archer I think we did pretty solid as long as shazier gets over his injuries. Bryant could be a game changer and I think Tuitt is going to be a surprise year 2. McCuellers could be a steal. Teams are lucky to get 3 or 4 solid players in a draft... we tend to forget that. A first round pick is not always the same year to year... there are years when the top 5 might not even crack the first round in a different draft and years when a low second rounder might be a solid first had they come out a year earlier or later. there were legit 2nd and 3rd round talents most years that went undrafted this year...

 

[Wingman]

Yea, tells you how much we really know. I thought the first 2 picks were great. Mendenhall was the best player on the field in the bowl game against USC. He was running through a bunch of future NFL players, Matthews, Cushing, Malaunga and so on. I thought he was a great pick.

Then, a few days after the draft I saw him interviewed. I had never heard him speak before. After hearing him I thought, "Oh, ****. They just drafted another Ricky Williams," and tried to put that thought out of my mind. I think that is why he fell in the draft. People talked to him. Which would explain why the Steelers took him, because if I recall, he said they never talked to him.

Sweed was a heck of a college player, too. But a lot of Texas guys just do not translate to the NFL for whatever reason.

Yeah guys like Hampton

 

[Superman]

Yeah guys like Hampton

there are quite a few who never panned out, though. which I think was diver's statement
2014 - no Longhorn was drafted

http://texassports.com/sports/2013/7/21/FB_0721132335.aspx?id=155

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