Ravens Almost Drafted Steelers' Star Lineman

Throughout draft season, NFL players tend to share stories about their own draft-day experiences as a fun trip down memory lane.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is one of the latest to share his story, and in doing so, he revealed that he nearly played for his current arch rival.

During his "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward" podcast, the seven-time Pro Bowl selection revealed that the Baltimore Ravens were one of the teams who had interest in him before the Steelers took him at No. 31 overall in 2011. The Ravens picked cornerback Jimmy Smith four picks before that.

"At this point, everybody has who they're drafting and most of the teams have already, they've made big boards. They've talked to the teams in front of them. They know who they're drafting," Heyward said. "Jets, Ravens, I know Green Bay was interested but they were the pick behind."

Heyward, 35, has been one of the NFL's best defensive linemen over the past decade-plus. He's still dominating now, as he earned first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth time in his career in 2024. When all is said and done, he could very well end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Smith had a solid career as well, spending 11 seasons in Baltimore and recording 14 interceptions despite dealing with several injuries. That said, it's hard not to think about what could've been.

"You start to wonder like, man, the people in front of me, are they even doing their homework on those guys?" Heyward said. "I have a lot of respect for the guys that went in front, but some of them, some head-scratchers."

Funny enough, the Ravens had an adventure of their own that night.

They originally held the No. 26 overall pick, but had a deal in place to trade it to the Chicago Bears in exchange for No. 29 and No. 127 overall. However, the Bears failed to confirm the trade to the league in time, causing the Kansas City Chiefs to leapfrog the Ravens in the draft order. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said he was "disappointed" with the Bears after the trade fell through.

Hopefully, Thursday's draft will be a bit smoother.