Perhaps one of the Pittsburgh Steelers' most confusing draft picks in recent years was taking Dri Archer, the speedster out of Kent State, in the third round (Landry Jones might have Archer beat out for the top spot). Archer was a decent prospect who showed a lot of potential with his quickness, whether be out of the backfield or split out wide. However, the team only ever really used Archer as a return man, making the pick quite odd.
This season, Archer's kick returns have not been anything spectacular. So, being 5'8" and 175 pounds, it is hard for him to get many reps at any other position. He would be a good receiver, out of the backfield or in the slot, but he just didn't fit in the Steelers offense so there was no use for him there. Since Archer was under-performing at his only job, the team decided to part ways with him.
To replace Archer, Pittsburgh went and signed the former Houston Texan, Baltimore Raven and San Diego Charger, Jacoby Jones. There are really two things that Jones is known for. First, there is his 108-yard kickoff return to open up the second half of Super Bowl 47, which is the record for the longest play in Super Bowl history.
Steelers fans know Jones for another reason, one that is quite funny and ironic. Back in 2013, on Thanksgiving Day, the Baltimore Ravens played the Steelers. Well, Jones was in great position to return a kickoff for a touchdown. That is, until Mike Tomlin "unknowingly" stood on the field right where Jones was running, jumping out of the way at the last second, but ultimately slowing Jones down enough for a Steeler to make the tackle and save the touchdown.
When you look past the comedy aspect, this is a good move for the Steelers. Archer just simply was not getting the job done when it came to returning kicks. Jones is a veteran and is still very capable of giving the Steelers decent field position consistently, something that Dri Archer just couldn't seem to do.