A lot of Pittsburgh Steelers fans view Mike Vrabel as ‘the one who got away’. Making matters worse is the place to which he got away—New England, as a starter for Bill Belichick’s Patriots defense. As a starter on three Super Bowl champions, including the 2004 season in which they knocked the Steelers out in the AFC Championship game with a rookie Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers originally drafted Vrabel in the third round out of Ohio State in 1997, but he would never have a regular role, or even a starting job, during his four seasons with the team.