A Very Nerdy Piece Of Steelers Draft Trivia
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a 10-man rookie draft class fighting to make the roster. Under GM Omar Khan, no rookie has been cut outright. But that will be tested among Pittsburgh’s largest group in a decade. So who was the last rookie not to make it? Here’s a history lesson on draft picks to not make the Steelers’ initial roster out of camp.
Seventh Round – QB Chris Oladokun (2023)
Oladokun, you never had a chance. The second quarterback drafted after Kenny Pickett’s first-round investment, Oladokun was presumably selected to prevent Pittsburgh from fighting for him – and likely losing out – in the undrafted frenzy. The Steelers liked Oladokun enough to travel to South Dakota State for his Pro Day and snagged him with their final selection. He latched on with the Kansas City Chiefs, was part of two Super Bowl wins, and made his regular season debut late last season.
Sixth Round – EDGE Quincy Roche (2021)
Roche seemed like good value in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he lacked upside or special teams value to stick. He lost out to Jamir Jones, who impressed on the third phase, and was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants. Roche was reacquired in 2023 and made it through camp, but once again, failed to make the roster.
Fifth Round – CB Shaq Richardson (2014)
One of Pittsburgh’s many mid-round cornerback misses of the era, Richardson came and went without much fanfare. The story of why he struggled is a little fuzzy, but it seemed like poor evaluation on the Steelers’ part. Richardson never found NFL footing and didn’t appear in a regular season game in Pittsburgh or anywhere else. His last NFL stop came with the Oakland Raiders in 2018, when he suffered an injury and was waived/injured.
Fourth Round – CB Doran Grant (2015)
Pittsburgh had an even bigger initial whiff a year after taking Richardson. It’s rare for a fourth rounder to fail to make the initial 53-man roster, but Grant fell short out of the preseason. He made it to the practice squad and eventually found his way back to the roster to make his debut in Week 14. But he would only ever log a single defensive snap, adding a handful more on special teams, and never made a tackle.
Third Round – TE Ray Sydnor (1980)
It’s alittleharder to pinpoint this last group of players, rounds 1-3, who didn’t make the initial roster. There’s far less information; curses for Steelers Depot not existing back then. But it appears Sydnor was the last third rounder who didn’t make it. Per his Pro Football Archives page, an excellent resource, he was drafted in 1980 and released that August, then claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Some sources indicate he was traded to the Eagles, but this UPI article notes it was a signing. And for a time, Philadelphia thought Sydnor could make it in the NFL.
‘In my opinion,’ said head coach Dick Vermeil via that UPI article, ‘he doesn’t look like the same guy. He really, really worked in the off-season on conditioning and trimming himself down to 220.’ Sydnor had rare size at 6’8 with a reportedly fast 40 time. Health seemed to be among his issues, spending 1980 and 1981 on injured reserve and he would later reveal a severe drug addiction. Released in 1982, he spent time with the USFL Michigan Panthers but did not register any statistics. Fortunately, Sydnor eventually got clean and has gone on to become a motivational speaker and mentor.
Second Round – B Pat Stark (1954)
The second round gets even murkier and comes with an understandable reason. A star quarterback at Syracuse who led the team to the 1953 Orange Bowl (just ignore the outcome) could’ve been among the Steelers’ first quarterbacks after switching to the T-formation the year prior. But a different draft intervened. The United States Army drafted Stark shortly after Pittsburgh did, and Stark served his country instead. He was stationed at Fort Dix through 1956.
Stark never played football. After the Army, he broke into coaching and was a lifer in the Rochester area for decades to come. Most of his time came as Rochester’s head coach from 1969–1982. He would later be inducted into a slew of Hall of Fames. Stark died in July 2020.
First Round – FB Butch Avinger (1951)
Like Stark, Avinger had his football career interrupted by the miliary. Avinger was also drafted into the Army after a standout career at Alabama as a fullback and punter. Avinger would make his NFL debut in 1953. Joining the New York Giants as their punter, he recorded 52 boots and led the NFL with a 69-yard kick that year. One source noted the Steelers traded Avinger’s rights to the Giants in exchange for Pat Brady, who remains one of the best punters in Pittsburgh history. However, the timeline is a little wonky. The newspaper article says the traded happened in 1953 despite Brady playing in 1952 for the Steelers.
Dave Bryan wrote about Avinger ahead of Najee Harris becoming the second Alabama player Pittsburgh has ever drafted in the first round.
