The Pittsburgh Steelers obviously expected Cameron Heyward to be good when they drafted him in the first round in 2011. I don’t know that they expected him to be as good as he has become, both on and off the field. Entering his 10th season in 2020, he may arguably have already cemented himself as the best 3-4 defensive end the team has ever had, and they have some legitimate names in their history.
And in recent years, the rest of the league has begun to take notice as well. Picking up his game in terms of sacks, registering 29 over that span, Heyward has been named to three consecutive Pro Bowls and has been awarded first-team All-Pro honors twice, in 2017 and 2019, picking up nine sacks and a career-high 83 tackles.