An interesting question was posed on X this week. That question was “ is Ben Roethlisberger was the greatest Steeler of all time? While the answer is an emphatic no, it did get us to thinking. How would we rank the top ten Steelers all time greats, and where would Big Ben fall on this list? This is not an easy list considering all the tremendous players who have worn the black and gold over the years. Here’s our best shot at ranking the top ten Steelers all time greats:
The Steelers Mount Rushmore:
1. Joe Greene
2. Jack Lambert
3. Troy Polamalu
4. Mel Blount
5. Rod Woodson
With a franchise synonymous with defense, it’s no surprise the top five all land on that side of the ball. Joe Greene is almost unanimously considered the best player in Steelers history, followed closely by Jack Lambert. The next three can really be rearranged in any order according to taste. We ding Rod Woodson slightly for not playing his entire career in Pittsburgh. Overall though, this is a five that would be as good as any other franchise in the NFL.
Best of the rest:
6. Franco Harris
7. Antonio Brown
8. Ben Roethlisberger
9. Jack Ham
10. John Stallworth
Franco Harris is just a tick below the top five in our opinion, but ahead of all the rest. It was hard to find separation between Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown to be honest. Both were so dependent on each other for their individual success. The tie breaker came in the fact that Brown could be argued to be the best at his position in his era. The same can not be said for Roethlisberger, therefore AB gets the slight edge. The decision to take Stallworth over Swann is not easy either. An argument for the Steelers all time greats at this position is extremely difficult. Here is the way we ranked some years back: Top 10 Steelers receivers all time
We also have ranked other positions for the Steelers like linebackers: Top 10 linebackers in Steeler history
And top 10 defensive backs Top 10 Steelers defensive backs of all time