The Steelers traded up eleven places to grab Troy Polamalu
In the 2003 draft, San Diego needed a safety, held the 15th pick and passed on Troy Polamalu. Pittsburgh jumped from 27th to 16th to take him. He spent all twelve of his professional seasons with the Steelers, won two Super Bowls and entered the Hall of Fame at the first chance.
Polamalu, of American Samoan descent, was born in Garden Grove, California, the youngest of five, and his father left soon afterwards. At eight he spent three weeks with relatives in Tenmile, Oregon, and begged to stay; worried about bad influences near Los Angeles, his mother sent him there at nine to live with his uncle Salu, a disciplinarian who kept him on track. At Douglas High School in Winston he starred in football, baseball and basketball. As a junior he rushed for 1,040 yards and 22 touchdowns and intercepted eight passes.
A scholarship took him to USC, and he joked that God had named him Troy for a reason, since the school's teams are the Trojans. After a freshman year cut short by a concussion, he started every game at strong safety in 2000, was twice voted captain and was a consensus All-American in 2002. He left with 278 tackles, six interceptions and four blocked punts, but hurt his knee warming up for his final game, the Orange Bowl, and missed the Senior Bowl and the scouting combine.
Pittsburgh's draft was shaped by a near miss. The club had a verbal deal with Dexter Jackson, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, and planned to spend its first pick on a running back, until Arizona outbid it for Jackson. Most analysts expected Polamalu to go late in the first round or early in the second, so when the Chargers traded down the Steelers moved decisively and signed him that July to a five-year, $12.10 million contract.
He had to earn his place, beginning as a reserve before Bill Cowher made him the starter ahead of Mike Logan in 2004. From there he became an eight-time Pro Bowl pick and six-time All-Pro, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, and is widely rated among the greatest safeties ever. He reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Source: Troy Polamalu
