The NFL's Top 50 Draft Classes of the Decade: No. 26 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2003

Team Achievements: 71-41, 2 Super Bowl Championships, four playoff berths.

The Steelers' 2003 Selections: Troy Polamalu, S, USC (No. 16) *
Alonzo Jackson, LB, Florida State (No. 59)
Ike Taylor, CB, Lousiana-Lafayette (No. 125)
Brian St. Pierre, QB, Boston College (No. 163)
J.T. Wall, RB, Georgia (No. 242)
* Received No. 16 pick from Kansas City for Steelers' No. 27, 3rd round, and 6th round picks.

Class Accolades: Troy Polamalu - 2-time All-Pro, 5 Pro Bowls, 20 interceptions, 7 sacks, 455 total tackles in 7 seasons with Steelers.
Ike Taylor - 9 interceptions, 411 total tackles as 5-year Steelers' starter.

Overall Draft Analysis: The Steelers successfully maneuvered to draft Polamalu, the team's unquestioned most valuable defensive player of the decade. The All-Pro headhunter remains a rare, transcendent playmaker for one of the decade's most dominant defenses. The league's finest safety in run support has guided the unit to six consecutive top three rush defense rankings, compiling four playoff berths during that span. After a twenty-six season Super Bowl drought, Polamalu and the Steelers impressively secured two Championships in four seasons. As evident by Polamalu's unfortunate injury in 2009, the former Trojan game-changer remains invaluable to the defense's performance, and, ultimately, overall team success.

Ike Taylor has proven a productive complement to Polamalu and the Steelers' coverage unit. The late fourth-round selection continues to provide tremendous value to Pittsburgh, starting for the fifth consecutive season, in addition to starting in the team's pair of Super Bowl victories. The rest of the draft generated negligible impact with the Steelers. Jackson became an utter second-round disaster, totaling three total tackles in two seasons with Pittsburgh, while St. Pierre attempted five total passes, and Wall never played in a single game. Ultimately, one of the decade's most valuable defenders, Polamalu, and solid cornerback, Taylor, indelibly altered the AFC landscape during the decade. Inevitably, Polamalu's regular season and postseason production lands him on the future Hall-of-Fame shortlist, considering the five-time Pro Bowl safety remains only 28 years of age.

The Steelers' "Perfect Draft" in Retrospect
(Keeping Trades, Only Same Position Players are Eligible)
No. 16 - S Troy Polamalu, No. 59 - LB Lance Briggs, No. 125 - CB Ike Taylor (Leigh Bodden, Undrafted), No. 163 - QB Tony Romo (Undrafted), No. 242 - RB Earnest Graham.

References: All statistics and draft results as reflected on NFL.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com.