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2021 Steelers Top 10: Ahkello Witherspoon takes the final spot on the list

BTSC voters have chosen the most valuable Steelers from 2021.

Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh Steelers Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

As the Pittsburgh Steelers continue through the offseason, building 2022 roster, we took time to take a look back at 2021 again and rank the Top 10 Steelers players of the season. Today we finalize the list with our last addition, Akhello Witherspoon.

Ahkello Witherspoon joined the Steelers one week before the Steelers first game of 2021, when the Steelers traded a 5th round pick for the veteran corner. Witherspoon has had a roller coaster of a career with patches of great and terrible play intermixing throughout his first four years in the NFL. His tenure in Pittsburgh was no less chaotic.

Witherspoon’s first time in a Steeler uniform was in week 2, and it went about as bad as it could, giving up a 61-yard touchdown and getting benched after only 4 snaps, all of them bad. He would next see the field in week 11, and was much better. He wouldn’t give up another touchdown or even 50 receiving yards in any game the rest of the season.

In his 35 targets after the week 2 debacle Witherspoon allowed only 13 catches, while he recorded 9 pass defenses and 3 interceptions. Both numbers led the Steelers despite playing fewer games and far fewer snaps than most of his fellow defensive backs.

With Akhello Witherspoon winning the last spot on our list we now have a complete top ten:

Best Steelers of 2021:
1. T.J. Watt
2. Cameron Heyward
3. Najee Harris
4. Minkah Fitzpatrick
5. Chris Boswell
6. Pat Freiermuth
7. Diontae Johnson
8. Ben Roethlisberger
9. Alex Highsmith
10. Akhello Witherspoon

Our top ten list includes 5 defenders, 4 offensive players and Chris Boswell. A pretty good balance, although the top of the list is definitely headed by the defense.

This list is likely different from the top ten list most of us would make. I would have put Minkah Fitzpatrick ahead of Najee Harris and I would swap out the last two for Terrell Edmunds and Kevin Dotson, but this is a pretty solid list. What do you think?

Everyone knows the most important part of any top-10 list is arguing about what you disagree with. So make sure to give your arguments and superior lists in the comments, and also vote for the worst part of the BTSC Top Ten Steelers of 2021.

Poll

The worst part of the BTSC Steelers top 10 list is. . .

This poll is closed

  • 16%
    Ben Roethlisberger is too low on this list
    (23 votes)
  • 30%
    Ben Roethlisberger is too high on this list
    (43 votes)
  • 1%
    Najee Harris is a RB, they have no value!!
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    James Washington should rank ahead of Diontae Johnson
    (1 vote)
  • 1%
    Myles Garrett is better than T.J. Watt
    (2 votes)
  • 16%
    Where is Terrell Edmunds?
    (24 votes)
  • 10%
    Chris Boswell is too low on this list
    (15 votes)
  • 12%
    Freiermuth over Diontae Johnson is wrong
    (18 votes)
  • 1%
    My favorite player didn’t make the list
    (2 votes)
  • 8%
    The polls were rigged
    (12 votes)
142 votes total Vote Now