Not every team lands a superstar in the first round of the NFL Draft — and while the Pittsburgh Steelers have their fair share of misses over the past decade, Pro Football Focus recently corrected one of these slip-ups.
In a new 2018 NFL Redraft, PFF’s Max Chadwick, Dalton Wasserman, and Trevor Sikkema decided the Steelers would pass on S Terrell Edmunds — and instead select four-time All-Pro LB Shaquille Leonard, who was originally selected by the Colts with the 36th pick of the second round.
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“The Steelers started Jon Bostic at middle linebacker in 2018, then Mark Barron in 2019 and then Robert Spillane in 2020,” Chadwick, Wasserman, and Sikkema wrote. “Leonard would have halted that revolving door, as he earned PFF overall grades of 81.4, 78.7, 70.4, and 79.1 in his first four seasons before major drop-offs in 2022 and 2023 after suffering a back injury.”
Acquiring Leonard would actually kill two birds with one stone — as the Steelers wouldn’t have been forced to make another disastrous decision the following draft in trading up to select LB Devin Bush with the 10th overall pick.
While it’s always exciting to ponder what might’ve been, the past two Steelers draft classes appear to be on the right track to success — with training camp providing excellent insight as to what lies ahead.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers acquire All-Pro linebacker in PFF’s 2018 NFL Redraft