The Pittsburgh Steelers will now turn their attention to hiring a new general manager. Saturday, Kevin Colbert put the finishing touches on his 22nd NFL Draft as the Steelers general manager. And it was one for the ages as the Steelers selected quarterback Kenny Pickett from Pitt in the first round.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post Gazette
It's going to be one that either propels the next chapter of the Steelers, or it will be one that sets them back for the next several years. Once we know the player Pickett will be is when you'll be able to close the grade book on this one.
Over the weekend, candidate Louis Riddick was in Pittsburgh to speak at his alma mater during their graduation ceremony. After the ceremony, he took some time to speak with Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
We didn't hear from Riddick very often this weekend, and when we did, he only touched on the Steelers' draft slightly. Interestingly enough, someone in the SteelerNation.com staff group chat said Saturday that Riddick had mentioned the Steelers' draft and that he liked all of their picks. Then everyone laughed and said maybe there is a reason he felt like that.
“It’s funny, I tried not to concentrate on their draft too much,” Riddick said with a grin to Batko. “Because I didn’t want anyone going, ‘Ah, look at him, I see what he’s trying to do.’ ”
It's funny that watching what he says was also on Riddick's mind. With the draft completed, the Steelers will now begin the process of second interviews. And these interviews won't include Colbert like they did the first time. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will now join the process.
“I can’t say very much,” Riddick said. “Simply because this is something that it needs to play itself out. Obviously, everyone knows what my connection is to [Pitt] and this city — what that would mean for me, what that would mean for my family and how it would be kind of like a full-circle moment for me.But we’ll just let this play out. Obviously, there are a lot of other good candidates. Mr. Rooney is someone who I don’t think anyone here has any lack of trust in making the right decision, and he’ll do just that. However it shakes out, it won’t change my connection to this city, this university and anything else that’s involved. We’ll see what happens.”
The Steelers had their first interview with Riddick at the NFL Combine two months ago. Surprisingly, Riddick said that was the first time he met Colbert.
"Kevin, meeting him at the combine — I interviewed with him and Mr. Rooney in Indianapolis — he’s such a down-to-earth, every-man type of person that understands even after all this time and as successful as he’s been, he still understands what he’s real good at and what he still would want to get good at if he were still in that position,” said Riddick, who was conferred an honorary doctorate degree Sunday by Pitt chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “And he’s someone that I don’t think he’s going to be going anywhere, so to speak. I think he will always be a resource for the Pittsburgh Steelers, however he wants that to look and however they want that to look.”
Riddick Discusses the Steelers selection of Kenny Pickett
Prior to the draft, Riddick joined and spoke highly of Pickett. He said 'he's aces, man.'
“That pick of Kenny Pickett drives and creates so much synergy within that building, within that stadium eventually, in the city. … Pittsburgh is the ultimate family organization, the Steelers, and Mr. Rooney puts his money where his mouth is as far as that’s concerned,” Riddick said to Batko on Sunday. “Whether it be blood relatives who are drafted, brothers who are on the same team, or a guy like Kenny who was a Pitt brother himself — that’s as cool as it gets."“You saw what the emotion was like for him, what the emotion was like for his family. And it was emotional for me to see that happen, because I’ve been a big supporter of his — partly because he goes to Pitt, but not all because of that. Also because he’s just a good person who put in the work, and that kind of thing is just going to pay dividends on the field, off the field. That’s just how it’s supposed to be.”
Whether or not Riddick is ultimately chosen as the next man up for the Steelers, there's no question that his passion for the city and franchise is genuine. Prior to becoming an analyst on ESPN, Riddick spent over 12 years as an NFL executive/pro scout whose background will suit the Steelers well as their next general manager.
Would you like to see Riddick as the team's next GM? Click to comment below!
#SteelerNation
