Few teams can rival the Pittsburgh Steelers in terms the volume of elite players to pass through the doors. A big part of this is because of how well the Steelers have done in the first round of the NFL draft. Our friends over at Touchdown Wire broke down the biggest draft bust for every NFL draft. For the Steelers they went with linebacker Huey Richardson.
Here’s what they had to say about Richardson:
Going into the 1991 draft, the Steelers had a plan to take one of two receivers or a running back with the 15th overall pick. But when Alvin Harper, Mike Pritchard and Leonard Russell were selected with the Nos. 12-14 picks, the team was left unprepared for that particular contingency. So they took Richardson out of Florida, hoping that he might be a factor. But the former Steel Curtain had switched to a 3-4 base defense by then, and Richardson wasn’t big enough to be an end or quick enough to be an edge rusher. Pittsburgh tried him at inside linebacker, but that didn’t take, either.
Richardson was absolutely a victim of circumstance when the Steelers drafted him. His talent was overblown in college and I have always contended he would have never made it in the league regardless of any scheme change.
Who do you consider the Steelers’ biggest draft bust? Let us know in the comments below.
