Anatomy of the Steelers drafts is an ongoing series leading up to the NFL Draft which examines the successes and failures of past Pittsburgh draft choices.

Today’s article focuses on 2015 seventh round draft pick Gerod Holliman.

Overview

Name	Gerod Holliman
Position	Safety
Height	5-10
Weight	218 lbs.
College	Louisville

Holliman was a 2014 Jim Thorpe Award winner at Louisville, where he tied a NCAA record for interceptions (14) and was named a consensus All-American during his redshirt sophomore season. The safety would leave college a year early, following his junior season, to enter the NFL Draft.

Draft Profile

Holliman’s NFL.com Draft Profile wasn’t the most flattering:

“One-year starter at free safety, posting outrageous ball-production numbers. A feast or famine free safety whose lack of field discipline and willingness to tackle will be more heavily exploited in the NFL. Rumors of his lack of football character combined with absolutely terrible tape when it comes to tackling could sabotage his draft stock despite his enormous ball skills.”

Below you’ll see how this particular assessment of the player was on the money.

The Need

The Steelers have been attempting to patch their leaky secondary for several seasons. In 2015 they had to deal with their first season without Troy Polamalu. Former fourth-round pick Shamarko Thomas was tabbed to be his replacement (which didn’t happen) but at that same time, Pittsburgh was still looking for possible suitors who could also contribute on special teams.

Holliman was an intriguing pick at the time, not only because he played safety, but because he had been such a ballhawk during his college days. Spending a seventh round pick on a player who could far outweigh his value in the future, was worth the risk.

The Other Picks

Honestly, the only pick who came out of the 2015 NFL Draft in the seventh round and has any notoriety is Denver Broncos QB Trevor Siemian. There are a few offensive linemen who have seen duty as well, but Siemian is the only other player I could say the Steelers could have looked at.

And they wouldn’t have. They drafted Landry Jones two seasons earlier and didn’t have a real need at the time, with Bruce Gradkowski penciled in as the backup.

Siemian himself wasn’t exactly in the Broncos plans. They had Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. He still might not be, since they selected Paxton Lynch in the first round of last year’s draft too.

In other words, Holliman wasn’t taken over any other prospect who would’ve been a difference maker for the Steelers.

The Outcome

Holliman never made it past the preseason, but he did survive up until the final cuts. He was released two days following the Steelers final preseason game.

In five preseason games (including the extra Hall of Fame Game) Holliman logged 31, 16, 7, 18 and 12 snaps on defense. His playing time never increased, even in the final game where most starters sit out. Over those five games, he tallied three total tackles (one for loss) with no other stats to mention (interceptions, pass defense, etc.)

I suspect the safety’s two penalties in the Steelers second preseason game (against Jacksonville) ultimately sealed his fate.

Holliman would later sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, being adeed to their practice squad and then signing a future contract in January of 2016. He would not make it to camp, being released in late April (around the same time as the NFL Draft).