2010 NFL Draft: Steelers Have a Knack For First Round Success

I'm not sure what the trick is, but the Steelers seem to have it down pretty good. I'm talking about their continued success with their first round picks over the years.

It started 42 years ago with Chuck Noll's selection of "Mean" Joe Greene with his first pick as Steelers head coach, and has continued through the years with Bill Cowher and now Mike Tomlin.

Over the course of the previous 42 drafts, the Steelers have acquired 30 players who turned out to be productive starters. That's 71%, which is pretty good.

Of those 30 selections, 14 of them became Pro Bowl players. That works out to 33%, or one in every three.

The Steelers have also accounted for five Hall of Famers with their first round selection, with another three in Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and Alan Faneca (now with the Jets) who have a decent chance to make it themselves.

That would make for an astonishing 19% of the Steelers' first round selections developing into Hall of Famers. You can't argue with that kind of success rate.

Whatever it is they're doing, I hope they keep on doing it. The Steelers could use some impact players who could work their way into the starting lineup on both the offensive and defensive lines and in the secondary.

It's that time of year again when the Steelers seem to work their magic. Who will be the next great first round pick to become a Steelers' star?

I can't wait to find out.