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The Pittsburgh Steelers as of late have been one of those teams where 1st round selections no longer have the luxury of sitting back and developing. With Najee Harris, Devin Bush, and Terrell Edmunds being their last three 1st round picks, all have played over 800+ snaps their rookie seasons. The NFL Draft has become an event that seemingly determines a franchise’s future, and coaches and fans now have the expectation that if a player is selected in the 1st round, they should be someone who has an immediate impact. Given the team’s history, I would expect any player drafted at pick 20 this year for the Steelers, outside of a quarterback, should expect to see significant snaps this season. The only question is, how high or low the quality of play will be? To get a good idea, let’s take a look back at the past five NFL Drafts to see how each 20th pick faired during their rookie season (all stats pulled from Pro Football Reference)
10 games (4 starts) 39 rec, 420 yards, 0 TDs
SI.com
Toney had a rather lackluster rookie campaign for the Giants. Only topping 100 yards once, he was unable to produce the same highlights like he did in college that made him a 1st round pick. Now rumors are swirling that he is on the trade block after just one season with the Giants.
16 games (3 starts) 19 tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFL
James Gilbert / Getty Images
Chaisson failed to make an impact his rookie year, recording a lone sack on the season. He has continued to struggle to make any real impact with the Jaguars as he has only managed 2 sacks in his two seasons. Chaisson is an early bust from the 2020 class.
16 games (11 starts) 40 rec, 562 yards, 3 TDs
Fant was able to show plenty of flashes of why he was worthy of a 1st round pick. He had his fair share of splash plays having 10 catches of 20+ yards, 3 of which were 40+ yards, with his biggest play being a 75-yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns. Today, Fant is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks as a result of the Russell Wilson trade.
Started all 16 games at LG. 4 sacks allowed, 6 penalties, 66.5 PFF Grade
Ragnow was a center coming out of college but the Lions elected to move him to guard for the 2018 season where he started all 16 games. He ended the season as the 28th rated guard (out of 57) who played 600+ snaps. Ragnow signed a 4-year, $54 million extension in April of 2021 after being named to the Pro Bowl during the 2020 season. His 2021 season was cut short during Week 4, where he suffered a toe injury that landed him on injured reserve for the year.
Started all 16 games at LT. 8 sacks allowed, 15 penalties., 72.9 PFF Grade
Jack Dempsey/AP
Bolles saw a rookie season at left tackle that had both the lows you would expect out of a rookie and the highs of a 1st round talent. He is now someone who will see his career likely play out with the Broncos after signing a 4-year extension in November 2020.
All in all, the 20th pick seems to be a place you can really find a solid talent. Even though the past two picks have been a dud for different reasons, offensive linemen were able to find success during their rookie campaign, as well as a rookie tight end saw success at a position that is usually tough to transition to at the pro level. It appears if the Steelers stick true to the “Steeler Way” and let the best player available drop to them as others reach, they should find success at 20.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Will the 20th pick provide quality snaps for the Steelers in 2022? Drop a comment below!
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2021 Kadarius Toney WR Florida, New York Giants (via Chicago Bears)
10 games (4 starts) 39 rec, 420 yards, 0 TDs
SI.com
Toney had a rather lackluster rookie campaign for the Giants. Only topping 100 yards once, he was unable to produce the same highlights like he did in college that made him a 1st round pick. Now rumors are swirling that he is on the trade block after just one season with the Giants.
2020 K’Lavon Chaisson DE LSU, Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams)
16 games (3 starts) 19 tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFL
James Gilbert / Getty Images
Chaisson failed to make an impact his rookie year, recording a lone sack on the season. He has continued to struggle to make any real impact with the Jaguars as he has only managed 2 sacks in his two seasons. Chaisson is an early bust from the 2020 class.
2019 Noah Fant TE Iowa, Denver Broncos (via Pittsburgh Steelers)
16 games (11 starts) 40 rec, 562 yards, 3 TDs
Fant was able to show plenty of flashes of why he was worthy of a 1st round pick. He had his fair share of splash plays having 10 catches of 20+ yards, 3 of which were 40+ yards, with his biggest play being a 75-yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns. Today, Fant is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks as a result of the Russell Wilson trade.
Noah Fant!
75-yard touchdown for the @Broncos rookie TE! #CLEvsDEN @nrfant
: CBS
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Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/GjhTr4sGG6 pic.twitter.com/xPXUX3Q8IL
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2019
2018 Frank Ragnow C Arkansas, Detroit Lions
Started all 16 games at LG. 4 sacks allowed, 6 penalties, 66.5 PFF Grade
Ragnow was a center coming out of college but the Lions elected to move him to guard for the 2018 season where he started all 16 games. He ended the season as the 28th rated guard (out of 57) who played 600+ snaps. Ragnow signed a 4-year, $54 million extension in April of 2021 after being named to the Pro Bowl during the 2020 season. His 2021 season was cut short during Week 4, where he suffered a toe injury that landed him on injured reserve for the year.
2017 Garett Bolles OT Utah, Denver Broncos
Started all 16 games at LT. 8 sacks allowed, 15 penalties., 72.9 PFF Grade
Jack Dempsey/AP
Bolles saw a rookie season at left tackle that had both the lows you would expect out of a rookie and the highs of a 1st round talent. He is now someone who will see his career likely play out with the Broncos after signing a 4-year extension in November 2020.
All in all, the 20th pick seems to be a place you can really find a solid talent. Even though the past two picks have been a dud for different reasons, offensive linemen were able to find success during their rookie campaign, as well as a rookie tight end saw success at a position that is usually tough to transition to at the pro level. It appears if the Steelers stick true to the “Steeler Way” and let the best player available drop to them as others reach, they should find success at 20.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Will the 20th pick provide quality snaps for the Steelers in 2022? Drop a comment below!
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
