Mike Tomlin's Steelers first-round draft picks graded
Mike Tomlin had a great run as Pittsburgh Steelers coach from 2007-25. Part of that was due to some excellent draft picks, especially in the first round.
Mike McCarthy will take over for Mike Tomlin as the Pittsburgh Steelers coach in 2026. The latter was a legend in the NFL and Steel City, continuing a dominant franchise in the AFC North. Tomlin followed Bill Cowher as Steelers coach in 2007.
He led the team to eight division titles and they appeared in the playoffs 13 times under his guidance. How did the Steelers do in the first round of the NFL draft during the Tomlin era? A look at the picks and how they worked out, grade-wise.
2007 Player: Lawrence Timmons College: Florida State Position: LB Grade: B 2008 Player: Rashard Mendenhall College: Illinois Position: RB Grade: C+ 2009 Player: Evander Hood College: Missouri Position: DT Grade: C 2010 Player: Maurkice Pouncey College: Florida Position: C Grade: A+ 2011 Player: Cameron Heyward College: Pitt Position: DE Grade: A+ 2012 Player: David DeCastro College: Stanford Position: Guard Grade: B+ 2013 Player: Jarvis Jones College: Georgia Position: OLB Grade: F 2014 Player: Ryan Shazier College: Ohio State Position: LB Grade: Incomplete 2015 Player: Bud Dupree College: Kentucky Position: LB Grade: B 2016 Player: Artie Burns College: Miami Position: CB Grade: D- 2017 Player: T. J. Watt College: Wisconsin Position: LB Grade: A+ 2018 Player: Terrell Edmunds College: Virginia Tech Position: S Grade: B- 2019 Player: Devin Bush College: Michigan Position: LB Grade: C 2020 No pick 2021 Player: Najee Harris College: Alabama Position: RB Grade: A 2022 Player: Kenny Pickett College: Pitt Position: QB Grade: F 2023 Player: Broderick Jones College: Georgia Position: DT Grade: C 2024 Player: Troy Fautanu College: Washington Position: OT Grade: B 2025 Player: Derrick Harmon College: Oregon Position: DT Grade: B- This article originally appeared on The List Wire: Mike Tomlin's Steelers first-round draft picks reviewed