When BTSC held our All-Time Pittsburgh Steelers fantasy draft earlier this year, I surprised some by selecting TJ Watt as number one overall. With 32 Hall of Famers and a dozen more in the Hall of Honor, how could a player currently on the roster be in the same conversation with these legends? But recently, some important Steelers figures are putting Watt high in their all-time rankings. So while there are still many chapters left to be written in Watt’s story, he’s currently on pace to be the greatest Steelers defender ever.

The conversation got serious last month when former head coach Bill Cowher ranked his top five Steelers defenders on The NFL Today. He listed Watt fourth all-time, behind Joe Greene, Rod Woodson, and Mel Blount, with Troy Polamalu fifth. Jack Ham seconded Cowher’s assessment on Friday when he appeared on 93.7 The Fan with his top five. He also put Watt fifth behind Greene, Polamalu, Blount, and Woodson.

So, let’s see how Watt currently compares with these and other legends in terms of stats, accolades, and mythic moments.

DT Joe Greene

5x All-Pro, 5x second-team All-Pro. 10x Pro Bowler
Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 and 1974. Third in voting in 1973, fifth in 1975, ninth in 1979.
NFL defensive rookie of the year in 1969
70s All-Decade Team, 75th anniversary All-Time NFL Team, 100th anniversary All-Time NFL Team.
13 seasons, 181 games. 77.5 sacks (unofficial). 16 fumble recoveries.

Key game moments: 5 sacks and a fumble recovery in a 9-3 win over Oilers to clinch Steelers’ first playoff birth (1972). Interception and fumble recovery in Super Bowl IX. Sack and forced fumble in Super Bowl XII.

LB Jack Lambert

6x All-Pro, 2x second-team All-Pro. 9x Pro Bowler.
Defensive Player of the Year in 1976. Ninth in voting in 1975, fourth in 1978, third in 1979, seventh in 1981, seventh in 1982, sixth in 1983.
Second in MVP voting in 1976.
NFL defensive rookie of the year in 1974.
70s All-Decade Team, 80s All-Decade Team, all 80s, 75th anniversary All-Time NFL Team, 100th anniversary All-Time NFL Team.
11 seasons, 137 games. 1,479 tackles, 28 interceptions, 17 fumble recoveries.

Key game moments: Three fumble recovers in the 1976 AFC Championship game. 14 tackles in Super Bowl X. Game-saving fourth-quarter interception in Super Bowl XIV.

LB Jack Ham

6x All-Pro, 2x second-team All-Pro. 8x Pro Bowler.
1975 Football News Defense Player of the Year. Seventh in AP voting in 1975, eighth in 1976, seventh in 1977, second in 1978, fourth in 1979.
70s All-Decade team, 75th anniversary All-Time NFL Team, 100th anniversary All-Time NFL Team.
12 seasons, 162 games. 32 interceptions, 21 fumble recoveries (most NFL takeaways for a non-DB).

Key game moments: two interceptions in the 1974 AFC Championship. Two fumble recoveries, one sack, and one interception in the 1978 AFC Championship.

CB Mel Blount

2x All-Pro, 4x second-team All-Pro. 5x Pro Bowler.
1975 Defensive Player of the Year.
80s All-Decade team, 75th anniversary All-Time NFL Team, 100th anniversary All-Time NFL Team.
14 seasons, 200 games. 57 interceptions.

Key game moments: Interception in Super Bowl IX. Interception in 1975 Divisional. Fumble recovery in the 1979 AFC Championship. Interception in Super Bowl XIII.

CB Rod Woodson (with the Steelers)

5x All-Pro, 2x second-team All-Pro. 7x Pro Bowler.
1993 Defensive Player of the Year. Second in voting in 1994, 10th in 1996.
90s All-Decade team, 75th anniversary All-Time NFL Team, 100th anniversary All-Time NFL Team.
10 seasons, 134 games, 38 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles, 21 fumble recoveries.

Key Game Moments: Interception in 1995 AFC Championship Game (loss to Chargers).

S Troy Polamalu

4x All-Pro, 2x second-team All-Pro. 8x Pro Bowler.

2010 Defensive Player of the Year. Third in voting in 2005, fifth in 2008.

00s All-Decade team.

12 Seasons, 158 games, 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, 107 pass deflections.

Key Game Moments: Interception in 2005 Divisional. Game-sealing interception in the 2008 AFC Championship.

LB T.J. Watt

4x All-Pro, 1x second-team All-Pro. 6x Pro-Bowler.

2021 Defensive Player of the Year. Third in voting in 2019, second in 2020, third in 2023.

8th season, 110 games. 101 sacks, 30 forced fumbles.

Key game moments: Pass deflection that caused an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in 2021 Wildcard (loss to Chiefs).

Statistically, Watt is on pace to match, if not break, most of the individual accolades. He’s already the Steelers’ all-time sack leader. He’s potentially on his way to his seventh Pro Bowl in eight seasons. As long as he stays healthy, one would assume he could match Lambert, and maybe even Greene. His Defensive Player of the Year voting would surpass Greene with another win. His career longevity could only be shortened by drastic injury.

What separates Watt from the rest of the G.O.A.T.s is big game moments. Everyone else on this list except Woodson has won Lombardis, and even Hot Rod played in a Super Bowl and two AFC Championships. Watt is 0-3 in the playoffs. Get him a ring, or at least appear in a Super Bowl, and Watt adds his face to Steelers Mount Rushmore.