The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 draft class exposed a couple of truths. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl are a dynamic pair of talent evaluators who filled multiple holes in the roster. It also exposed that since the 2013 NFL Draft, Kevin Colbert has been reaching for need and did a poor job restocking Mike Tomlin's roster. It's not a coincidence that the Steelers have not won a playoff game since 2016.
Karl Walter / Getty Images
Steelers' Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert.
On Friday, Mark Kaboly from The Athletic joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller. Andrew Fillipponi was off, but Donny Football and Chris Mueller asked Kaboly about the upcoming draft and the growing consensus about the Georgia Bulldogs' Amarius Mims being the Steelers' target. After congratulating each other on being longstanding passengers on the draft Mims bandwagon, Mueller asked Kaboly if the previous general manager would follow the same strategy or maybe prioritize and overdraft the center position.
"Potentially, Kevin always loved to say best available athlete, but you looked at it, that didn't really apply in the first round at all," Kaboly replied.
Colbert took over what eventually became the general manager position from Tom Donahoe in 2000. The first half of his career saw him select Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and likely future Hall of Fame players like Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, Cam Heyward, and David DeCastro. Colbert also added key cogs to a championship puzzle by selecting Heath Miller, Lawrence Timmons, and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes.
USA Today Sports
Steelers' TJ Watt and ILB Ryan Shazier.
Starting in 2013, he embarked on a series of first-round misses that eventually infected the entire draft process in Pittsburgh. In fact, of the last nine first-round picks of his tenure, only two could be considered a success. He drafted Ryan Shazier in 2014, a rising star, before tragedy struck and he lost his career. Colbert also picked TJ Watt in 2017, the best defensive player on the planet.
If the Steelers do not pick up Najee Harris' fifth-year option before May 2nd, and he leaves in free agency after the 2024 season, eight out of nine will no longer be with the team. His final first-round pick, Kenny Pickett, was unceremoniously dumped by Khan after his second season. Only two, Bud Dupree and Watt, will have played a sixth season in Pittsburgh. The other seven names feature some of the biggest draft busts in Steelers history, such as Artie Burns, Jarvis Jones, and Devin Bush Jr.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) sit in the franchise's draft room anxiously watching the board in 2023.
Kaboly suggested to Mueller that the general manager might not have the final call between two highly touted offensive line prospects in the first round. He could defer to Weidl, who is an excellent judge of talent in the trenches, or Sheldon White, who is a highly astute evaluator of offensive line talent. After the 2023 picks of Broderick Jones and Keeanu Benton, who appear to be long-term pieces of the Steelers' future, Tomlin and Khan would be wise to heed their advice, according to Kaboly.
"I don't know if that would be an Omar call. I think that would be more Andy and the scouts. Center is a very important position. However, I think if you are forced to, you can get away with not having that starting center, at least for right now. Especially how they are constructed right now, you have a vet in [Isaac] Seumalo, a vet in James Daniels, and a vet in Russell Wilson. How much do you really need the center to be that stud right away."
Steelers' Need For Starting Center May Wait Until Day 2 Of The 2024 NFL Draft
Kaboly points out that what might have been unthinkable even two weeks ago is becoming a reality. Jackson Powers-Johnson is sliding despite being touted as a surefire center. Graham Barton is rising up draft boards despite not having played the position very much. West Virginia center Zach Frazier is seen by most as a viable alternative who will be available in the second round, although he may not be available when the Steelers are on the clock at pick 51.
Steelers.com
Former Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
It could also open the door for the Steelers to address the position later in the draft with another Georgia player, Sedrick Van Pran. Only eight centers have been picked in the first round since Colbert picked Pouncey with the 18th pick in the 2010 draft. Ryan Kelly in 2016 and Garrett Bradbury in 2019 were selected 18th to match Pouncey, but you have to go all the way back to 1999 and the New England Patriots, who took Damien Woody with the 17th pick, to find any center picked higher.
It isn't likely that Khan and the Steelers' current draft strategy team would ignore the positional value and stretch to secure one of four positions of need. Unlike his predecessor, the current Steelers' general manager seems to understand that blowing through first-round draft picks like a drunken sailor at fleet week will not get Pittsburgh any closer to ending nearly a decade of playoff and roster-building futility.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Who do you think Pittsburgh will select with the 20th pick overall? Please comment below or on my X: @thebubbasq.
#SteelerNation
