The countdown to the 2011 NFL Draft is officially on. We're less than a week and a half away from the first round which will take place in primetime next Thursday night. While we wait to see who is drafted by the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, let's continue our countdown of the top ten draft 'successes' and 'busts' of the Kevin Colbert era with the No. 5 'success' -- Mike Wallace.
After just two short seasons in Pittsburgh, Wallace has become a fan favorite throughout Steeler Nation. Taken in the third round of the 2009 draft, Wallace has experienced absolutely zero growing pains at all in his first two NFL seasons. Sure, the Ole Miss product has room for improvement in certain departments, but generally speaking, Wallace hit the ground running in a big way. He caught 39 passes for 756 yards and 6 TDs as a rookie in '09. His 19.4 yards per reception led all NFL receivers. Wallace followed his impressive rookie campaign up with an even better sophomore season. No. 17 caught 60 passes last year for 1,257 yards and 10 TDs. Incredibly, Wallace bested his 19.4 Y/R with a mark of 21.0 yards per catch in '10, only this time it was good for a mere second league wide.
Can somebody, anybody please explain to me how Wallace didn't make the Pro Bowl last year? Total joke, not that it much matters.
Anyway, the future seems to be quite bright for Wallace. If he replicates the solid start to his professional career, you can count on him catapulting up even higher on future lists like this. But with just two years under his belt, I'm going to keep him here at the No. 5 spot despite being quite tempted to bump him a spot or two higher. Not that it much matters. All that counts is that we all agree on this simple fact -- Kevin Colbert got it right when he drafted Mike Wallace in the third round with the 84th overall pick in the '09 draft. He's been a total joy to watch the last two years, and hopefully we'll be treated to many more breath taking connections between the speedster and his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.
Kevin Colbert's Top 10 Draft 'Busts'
No. 6: Limas Sweed, 2nd Round, 2008
No. 7: Bruce Davis, 3rd Round, 2008
No. 8: Thaddeus Gibson, 4th Round, 2010
No. 9: Plaxico Burress, 1st Round, 2000
No. 10: Kendall Simmons, 1st Round, 2002
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Kevin Colbert's Top 10 Draft 'Successes'
No. 6: Willie Colon, OT, 4th Round, 2006
No. 7: LB Larry Foote, 4th Round, 2002
No. 8: OG Chris Kemoeatu, 6th Round, 2005
No. 9: OT Marvel Smith, 2nd Round, 2000
No. 10: WR Antonio Brown, 6th Round, 2010
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