Santonio Holmes

His 25 touchdown catches ranked him 3rd in the NCAA.

The 25th pick overall, he was the first receiver since Plaxico Burress taken in the first round by the Steelers.

The Steelers traded up with the New York Giants from 31st to draft Holmes.

Holmes, who wore number 4 at Ohio State (a number that wasn't issued to wide receivers in the NFL until 2021), was issued number 10, previously worn in Pittsburgh by former kicker Roy Gerela and quarterback Kordell Stewart.

Santonio Holmes Jr. (born March 3, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).

Santonio graduated from Glades Central High School in 2002 with a 3.4 GPA.

Holmes attended Ohio State University where he was red shirted when the Buckeyes won the 2002 National Championship.

Holmes caught 140 passes for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns, while gaining 3,123 all-purpose yards.

His 140 career receptions and 3,496 yards were ranked the fifth highest totals in school history at the time.

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State University.

Holmes left college a year early and was taken in the first round (25th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft by the defending Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early on in the Steelers' disappointing 2006 season, Holmes was criticized for his poor performance on special teams as a returner, a role in which he fumbled frequently.

However, Holmes had better success as a receiver, displaying his athleticism and skill in several of the Steelers' games.

He earned Week 6 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors for his performance October 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling 58 yards receiving and 13 yards rushing.

Late in the season, Holmes replaced Cedrick Wilson in the starting lineup and finished the 2006 regular season with 49 receptions for 824 yards and 2 touchdowns.

His best play of the season was also the last, when, in overtime of the Steelers' final game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Holmes caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger on a slant route and ran for a 67-yard touchdown to secure a win for the Steelers.

He also returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown on December 17 against the Carolina Panthers.

Holmes was named the Steelers' starting split end coming into training camp.

He enjoyed a breakout season in 2007 as he led the Steelers in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and emerged as one of the better known deep threats in the NFL.

In Week 1 of the season against the Cleveland Browns, Holmes caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger as they went on to defeat the Browns 34–7.

Week 4 in a loss against the Arizona Cardinals, he enjoyed one of the best games in his young pro career as he finished the game with 6 receptions, 128 yards, and 2 touchdown catches.

In Week 9, he enjoyed another two touchdown game against the Baltimore Ravens, both touchdowns came in the first half.

He finished the game with 4 catches, 110 yards, and two touchdowns.

In Week 16, Santonio Holmes amassed the most yards receiving in a game in his career, as he finished the game with 133 yards receiving against the St. Louis Rams.

He finished the year with 942 yards receiving and 8 touchdown catches.

He led the league in yards per catch.

In his first career playoff game, a 31–29 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he finished the game with 3 catches, 49 yards, and a touchdown.

Despite returning no punts throughout the 2007 season, Holmes explored returning again for the 2008 season.

During the offseason, Holmes had set a goal to play in all 16 games throughout the season, increasing his weight by 11 pounds through workouts in the offseason.

Holmes began the season with 2 receptions for 19 yards in a win against the Houston Texans.

In the following 10–6 win over the Cleveland Browns, Holmes totaled 94 yards on 5 receptions and had a carry for 10 yards.

In the following loss to the Eagles, he recorded 3 receptions for 32 yards.

In 2009, Holmes was named the most valuable player (MVP) of Super Bowl XLIII as the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals.

In 2010, Holmes was traded to the New York Jets in exchange for the Jets' fifth round pick.

Holmes also played a season for the Chicago Bears.

Holmes attended Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida.

He was a letterman in football, basketball, and track.

In football, he helped lead his team to two state titles and a 12–1 record as a senior.

In basketball, he helped lead his team to a state runner-up finish as a senior.

In track, his team won the state title during his junior year, and he was the member of a 4x400 meter relay team that won two state titles, and recorded a personal-best time of 49.85 seconds in the 400 meters.