All Steelers

49ers Stole Legendary WR From Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers came within inches of landing the best wide receiver of all time.

Stephen Thompson

San Francisco receiver Jerry Rice heads up field with a pass during the 4th quarter of the 49ers'
San Francisco receiver Jerry Rice heads up field with a pass during the 4th quarter of the 49ers' / ROBERT HANASHIRO / USA TODAY NETWORK
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers just barely missed out on landing who is widely considered the best wide receiver to ever grace the National Football League, if only one smart team hadn't traded up to steal a future Hall of Famer from them.

Discarding concerns that the record-setting college offense he played in wouldn't translate to the NFL, the Steelers felt they were in position to land Jerry Rice in the 1985 NFL Draft, according to Steelers.com's Bob Labriola, but the San Francisco 49ers leapfrogged them by trading with the New England Patriots to grab Rice four picks ahead of Pittsburgh.

"The Steelers held the 20th overall pick in that draft, and as the picking in the first round moved into the teens, Noll was prepared to spend the team's selection on Rice," Labriola wrote. "After the Cincinnati Bengals used the 13th overall pick on wide receiver Eddie Brown, it seemed as though the Steelers were going to get their man, but the San Francisco 49ers, picking 28th and last in the first round, worked a trade with New England to move up into the Patriots' spot at No. 16 overall and snatch Rice. The Steelers ended up using their No. 1 pick on Wisconsin defensive lineman Darryl Sims."

Hindsight is always 20/20 but Sims' career (58 games, 10 starts and 3 sacks over four seasons) pales in comparison to Rice's legendary run. He's the NFL's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, all-purpose yards and total touchdowns. He earned 13 Pro Bowl selections, 10 All-Pro nods, an MVP award, two AP Offensive Player of the Year distinctions and was named Super Bowl XXIII MVP.

The Steelers certainly had some strong seasons of their own during Rice's storied career, which spanned 1985 to 2004, but they were unable to cap any of them with a Super Bowl win. Meanwhile. Rice's 49ers captured three world titles over that same span.

Pittsburgh has since been wildly successful, winning a pair of championships of their own in 2006 and 2009. But it's fair to wonder how many they'd have today if the 49ers didn't make the prudent move to reach for Rice in 1985.

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Stephen Thompson

STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper. He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press. During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.