Hines Ward was drafted by the Steelers in the third round in 1998. At Georgia, Hines had played QB, RB, and WR. Ward made a big impression with his special teams play his rookie year but it wasn't until his 1999 season that it became very apparent that the Steelers had done a good job of profiling Hines as a physical receiver who would be fearless making the tough catch across the middle and equally physical blocking for the running game. Many feel that he is one of best blocking wide receivers since Chris Carter retired.

In 2001, Ward and fellow teammate Plaxico Burress both reached the 1000-yard plateau and were the first tandem in Pittsburgh history to both reach that mark. Hines signed a 5-year extension in 2001.

At Georgia, he finished his career ranked second in school history with 144 receptions and had 1,965 career receiving yards to rank third in team history. He is second to Herschel Walker in all-purpose yards. Hines was a 1997 All-American choice by The Poor Man’s Guide to the NFL Draft and earned All-Southeastern Conference honors as a senior.