Ike Taylor Makes His Pitch For Pittsburgh As The Host City In A Future NFL Draft
Former 12-year Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor, who won two Super Bowls with the franchise, took to his Bleav in Steelers podcast and (we think convincingly) made the case for Pittsburgh as a viable destination for the 2026 or '27 NFL draft, after news broke that the Steelers made a bid to host the event.
"Why not come where the tradition's at?" Taylor posited. "Why not come to the South Side and catch the tour on the second floor, and see [those] six Lombardi trophies sitting up on [those] glass cases?"
"Why not come and see the city?" Taylor continued "You've got the [Steelers' home turf, the] Acrisure Stadium on your left, you've got the Pittsburgh Pirates' stadium on your right? Why not come in the city... the weather be just right. Why not come to the city where you know the Mean Joe Greens, the Terry Bradshaws, the Lynn Swanns, the Troy Polamalus, the IT's? Why not come into the city of Pittsburgh for that draft? It's going to be a good experience. Hopefully the NFL [checks it off], but why not, man?"
Taylor was selected with the No. 125 pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2003. For his cumulative career, he notched 636 total tackles, 134 pass deflections, 14 picks, five fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown.