Can TE Jesse James Break the Pittsburgh Steelers' Round 5 Curse?

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't had a lot of luck in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. Dating back to 2001, only three players selected in the round have spent more than a year with the team—offensive lineman Chukky Okobi, taken in 2001, cornerback William Gay, taken in 2007, and quarterback Dennis Dixon, taken in 2008. Of the three, only Gay and Okobi have spent extensive time as starters for the team.

It feels like a curse, but it's mainly a coincidence. Whether for lack of talent, the presence of an injury or simply not having enough room on the practice squad—or an inability to get players there after waiving them from the 53-man roster—Round 5 just hasn't been a fruitful one for the Steelers.

Still, getting some degree of multiyear production from just three out of 19 players selected in the round isn't what the Steelers had hoped from their picks.

This trend looks like it's poised to change, at least for one year, with the Steelers' selection of tight end Jesse James in Round 5 of the 2015 draft. 

Year	Player	Year	Player	Year	Player	Year	Player
2001	C Chukki Okobi	2006	QB Omar Jacobs	2009	DB Joe Burnett	2012	RB Chris Rainey
2002	RB Verron Haynes	2006	TE Charles Davis	2009	RB Frank Summers	2013	DB Terry Hawthorne
2003	QB Brian St. Pierre	2007	G Cameron Stephenson	2010	G Chris Scott	2014	DB Shaq Richardson
2004	DE Nathaniel Adibi	2007	CB William Gay	2010	DB Crezdon Butler	2014	OL Wesley Johnson
2005	LB Rian Wallace	2008	QB Dennis Dixon	2011	DL Chris Carter	2015	TE Jesse James

James, who played three years for the Nittany Lions, caught 78 passes for 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns. Though he's never surpassed 396 yards in a season, that reflects more upon Penn State's offensive scheme rather than his talent level.

As CBS Sports' Dane Brugler notes, James was "underutilized with a diverse skill set to help any NFL team" and that "he can effectively play on all three downs with many attributes that will be coveted by NFL evaluators."

James' skill set, at least on paper and via the limited highlight reel he presented at Penn State, seems like a shoo-in to take the job held by current starting Steelers tight end Heath Miller since 2005. Miller, who turns 33 years old in October, has two years left on his contract but could be out the door as soon as 2016 depending on James' rookie-year development and the Steelers' feelings about the position.

Like Miller, James can catch, block and pass protect, giving him the potential to be an every-down player. It's quite possible that, granted James is as good as his billing, the Steelers' transition from Miller to James in a year or two could be seamless. 

Drafting James isn't the same as the Steelers' seventh-round selection of Rob Blanchflower last year or their seventh-round pick of David Paulson in 2012. Both Blanchflower and Paulson are (or were, in Paulson's case) developmental players taken at the bottom of the draft in the slim hope either would be assets on the 53-man roster.

James, on the other hand, is on the fast track to a starting position. Not only is that something that could not be said about the other two tight ends the Steelers have recently drafted, that's also something quite rare for one of the team's Round 5 picks. 

Where a player is drafted has little impact on the longevity of his NFL career. A great number of factors determine a player's longevity in the league, and many of those are out of his control. Timing, health, scheme fit, the way the depth chart shakes out, coaching changes and basic football prowess all contribute to whether or not a player is a success in the NFL. 

But luckily for both the Steelers and for James, many of those factors are falling in the favor of him having a significant and long-term on-field impact in Pittsburgh. Granted, there are months, at least, between now and when James will actually play a single snap. But as far as Steelers Round 5 picks go, James has a very strong chance of bucking the trend and being a fixture in Pittsburgh.