The Top 10 Steeler Draft Busts (2000-2009)
8. Matt Spaeth
Some may question my placing of Matt Spaeth on this list, but hopefully in this short section I can convince most if not all of Steeler Nation that the Spaeth pick was a total and complete waste. Spaeth was a 3rd Round pick of the Steelers in the 2007 N.F.L. Draft out of Minnesota and for whatever reason the Steelers went after him. Like the case of the player listed at number 5, at the time, Spaeth’s selection made almost no sense to me, and still puzzles me to this day. After the money selections of Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley to shore up their LB corp for the future (might I add it’s working just fantastically), I figured that the Steelers would be in the market for a Cornerback or at the very least some Offensive Tackle help with Marvel Smith nearing the twilight of his career. You know, to shore up some positions that the Steelers still need help with. But no, they went with Spaeth!
Obviously the Steelers were trying to please new OC Bruce Arians who loves to use 2 and 3 TE sets, and give him a weapon that had just won the 2006 Mackey Award. Yet in my opinion, and the opinions of many others, Spaeth’s career in the Steel City was a complete and total flop. My main knock against Spaeth was that his run blocking was at times for lack of a better phrase simply atrocious. I mean as a #2 TE, you gotta at least be a solid run blocker if you’re gonna be in the game, simple as that. Don’t get me wrong, his hands were decent, but he was hardly ever targeted when he was on the field. Sure, playing behind Pro Bowler Heath Miller won’t allow a guy to get as much P.T. or targets as most guys, but Spaeth was in all sorts of 2 and 3 TE formations when he was in the game! On freakin passing downs no less! Obviously Ben or Arians or both weren’t in the frame of mind to look Spaeth’s way during his career. I mean, Kevin Boss was still on the board, and so was Brent Celek. The Steelers could have had either of those guys, and both would have been far better compliments to Miller than Spaeth. Let me conclude with these final statements. In four less than mediocre seasons, Spaeth accumulated 36 catches for 275 yards and 5 TD’s. That’s an average of 9 catches a year for a #2 TE in a 2 TE Offense! It’s no wonder the F.O. let this guy walk in Free Agency, he just couldn’t cut the mustard.
7. Anthony Smith
Steeler Nation’s favorite psychic Anthony Smith comes in at #7. After Chris Hope was allowed to walk in Free Agency following the 2005 Super Bowl winning season, the Steelers were in need of some help/talent at the Free Safety position. So in the 3rd Round of The 2006 N.F.L. Draft the Steelers selected Smith out of Syracuse to be their Free Safety of the future. Unfortunately, Smith’s career was marred by idiocy, shoddy play, and the re-emergence of Ryan Clark. Truth be told Smith had a decent Rookie campaign as a backup and had a stat line 28 tackles, 6 Passes Defended, and 2 INT’s. Smith showed he had some promising skills as a FS and also displayed a knack for being a ferocious hitter.
As the 2007 season went along, Smith was the top reserve behind Ryan Clark and managed to earn the starting job by default at midseason when Clark was lost to a sickle cell illness that eventually saw him lose his spleen and gall bladder. However, Smith’s career was about to take a tailspin because of his big mouth and the events that transpired late in the season. Before the Steelers’ game against the undefeated Patriots Smith pulled a Miss Cleo and predicted not only a victory for the Steelers against an undefeated team, but also a win in a stadium that they had never won it at that point. Anyways, after the absolute thrashing of the secondary by Tom Brady in a game that ended with a score of 34-13, Smith and his reputation really never recovered. He was benched in favor of reserve Tyrone Carter for the rest of the season and would never win his job back. By 2008, Clark was healthy and played possibly his best season ever and Smith never started again. Smith was thus relegated to Special Teams duty and only recorded 9 tackles all season. The following season Smith was allowed to walk in Free Agency and the Steelers washed their hands of their busted 3rd Round pick.