TO BE OR NOT TO BE THAT IS THE QUESTION FOR THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ difficulties in making it back to the Super Bowl during the past several seasons have a lot to do with first-round draft picks who didn’t, or haven’t, panned out.

The central question which continues to bedevil Steelers Nation these days concerns the reasons why the Black-and-gold, despite posting winning records in recent seasons, have been unable to take that final step to claim the franchise’s seventh NFL championship. This mystery isn’t just the elephant in the room — it’s more like the whale in the room.

Reviewing the history of Steelers’ draft picks, you’ll encounter the interesting fact that the team’s first-ever draft choice, way back in 1936, was a halfback from Notre Dame by the unforgettable name of William Shakespeare. During the Depression era, pro football wasn’t a particularly lucrative profession, so Shakespeare the football player opted to quit the game to pursue a career in business instead. He was also a decorated, World War II hero in the Army. After the war, Shakespeare resumed his job at the Cincinnati Rubber Company, rising through the ranks to become the firm’s president in 1960.

The famous handle of this original Steelers’ draft pick brings to mind a crucial distinction between players who enjoy long and stellar careers in the NFL, and those who — despite impressive pedigrees coming out of college — never quite make the grade at the professional level. So in view of the timeless, existential question posed four centuries ago by the “Bard of Avon,” its worthwhile examining the Steelers’ first-round draft picks over a 22-year span from 1997 to 2018 through the lens of Shakespeare’s famous dichotomy.

Here’s the list:

1997: Chad Scott, Cornerback (8 seasons with Pittsburgh)

1998: Alan Faneca, Guard (10 seasons with Pittsburgh)

1999: Troy Edwards, WR (3 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2000: Plaxico Burress, WR (5 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2001: Casey Hampton, NT (12 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2002: Kendall Simmons, Guard (Due to injuries, played only 4 of 6 seasons with the team)

2003: Troy Polamalu, Safety (12 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2004: Ben Roethlisberger, QB (14th season with Pittsburgh)

2005: Heath Miller, TE (10 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2006: Santonio Holmes, WR (4 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2007: Lawrence Timmons, LB (10 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2008: Rashard Mendenhall, RB (5 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2009: Ziggy Hood, DE (5 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2010: Maurkice Pouncey, Center (9th season with Pittsburgh)

2011: Cameron Heyward, DE (8th season with Pittsburgh)

2012: David DeCastro, Guard (7th season with Pittsburgh)

2013: Jarvis Jones, LB (4 seasons with Pittsburgh)

2014: Ryan Shazier, LB (3 seasons and part of his 4th before serious injury)

2015: Bud Dupree, LB (4th season with Pittsburgh)

2016: Artie Burns, CB (3rd season with Pittsburgh

2017: T.J. Watt, LB (2nd season with Pittsburgh)

2018: Terrell Edmunds (rookie season with Pittsburgh)

In the big picture, the value of any first-rounder is determined not only by the quality of the player’s contributions to winning, but also by how long the player remains a viable member of the team. Comparing Pittsburgh’s first-round draft picks during the 1997-2007 period (11 seasons) to the 2008-2018 period (also 11 seasons), we find the average length of their careers with the Steelers was 8.36 years for the former period (‘97 to ‘07) and only 4.63 years for the most recent period (‘08 to ‘18). This comparison, of course, is somewhat skewed by the fact that the most recent period includes a few players who likely have several more years remaining in their careers with the Black-and-gold (e.g. Artie Burns, T.J. Watt, Terrell Edmunds and Bud Dupree). Nonetheless, the difference in total years played with the Steelers favors the former period by 41 seasons (92 vs. 51). So, considering that the jury is still out regarding the long-term viability of players such as Burns and Dupree — and also considering that the injury-shortened careers of Shazier and Kendall Simmons roughly cancel each other out in this comparison — it’s likely that the average career length of the Steelers’ top draft picks has shortened by roughly three years during the past decade to a term of approximately five years, compared to eight years in the pre-2008 period.

Additionally, when we look at the quality of player contributions to the team’s overall success, the earlier 1997-2007 period includes names such as Alan Faneca, Plaxico Burress, Casey Hampton, Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Heath Miller and Lawrence Timmons —whereas the more recent 2008-2018 period is limited to the names Maurkice Pouncey, Cameron Heyward, David DeCastro and Ryan Shazier.

Considering strictly these well-known star performers for the Black-and-gold, the first-round picks from the earlier period currently hold a whopping, seasons-played advantage of 73-27. Thus, it seems highly unlikely that the Steelers’ first-rounders from 2008-2018 will contribute much more than approximately half as much to the team’s success during their careers as their predecessors did.

One key reason for this striking difference, of course, is that today’s top NFL performers continue to earn larger and larger salaries with each passing year — so the tendency is for teams to draft less-costly replacements for star players who have reached the latter stages of their productive careers when their contracts weigh more heavily on the teams’ salary caps. But another factor is the recognition among top NFL draft picks that it’s advantageous to use free agency to maximize their income during the relatively brief periods of their lives while they’re playing pro football.

No longer retaining key players for 8-12 years, which was commonplace in the past, there’s also been a significant decline in the team continuity which fans had come to expect from year to year. For example, after drafting Heath Miller in 2005, the Steelers went for an entire decade without ever wondering who would be lining up at tight end. But since his retirement, the position has often resembled musical chairs. Similarly, since Casey Hampton hung up his spikes, the Steelers have never been able to find that prototypical nose tackle to replace Hampton’s unparalleled run-stuffing and middle-clogging capabilities. Looking at the Steelers’ defense today, you’re seeing a lot more question marks out there than the positions solidly manned.

Perhaps most importantly, the Steelers need to recapture the level of first-round draft success they enjoyed previously. In their 2009 and 2013 drafts, for example, the Steelers misfired badly, selecting Ziggy Hood and Jarvis Jones — two players who contributed precious little to the team’s success. Today, many fans are openly questioning the wisdom of drafting first-rounders Dupree and Burns in consecutive years. If neither of them pans out in the long run with the Steelers — and noting the equally dicey pick of running back Rashard Mendenhall in 2008 — this ultimately could represent five strikeouts for Rooney U. in their top draft picks out of the past eleven NFL Drafts. That’s certainly not any record to write home about.

And despite the fact that Le’Veon Bell was a second-round pick, the current soap opera which the team is enduring with No. 26 underscores the fact that exceptional athletic talent, by itself, is no guarantee of success. As outstanding a player as Bell might be, his presence hasn’t proven to be the missing element in bringing a seventh Super Bowl title to the Steel City.

Championship players are those willing to make the sacrifices necessary to be recognized as the best in their business. Sometimes this means putting the success of the team ahead of personal goals. While every team’s No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft is blessed with exceptional athletic talent, what makes any first-rounder a star — as well as a long-term contributor to a team’s success — is the burning desire, not necessarily to be the highest-paid player at his position, but simply being the best in a group of like-minded individuals firmly committed to that ultimate goal.

In the decade prior to 2008, the Steelers mostly succeeded in the challenging task of finding players with the requisite talent and attitudes to build an NFL champion. But during the past decade, they simply haven’t done as good a job in the springtime sweepstakes. Interestingly enough, Ben Roethlisberger — the one player Steelers Nation leans on most heavily to haul them up that Stairway to Seven — currently is the lone holdover from those exceptional, 1997-2007 drafts.