Kevin Colbert: Whenever we make a pick, it’s a Pittsburgh Steelers pick.

Monday the Steelers hosted their annual press conference (in person) at Heinz Field that featured both Mike Tomlin and Colbert. A fantastic opportunity to gather as much information as possible on not only what Pittsburgh might be thinking on draft night, but also on how each position is viewed in the eyes of two-time Super Bowl winning GM.

“We just finished three weeks of intense meetings,” Colbert said. “Where scouts us, assistant coaches, coordinators, head coaches, GMs, we all had our chance to have our input. But when we put a grade on a player, it’s not Coach’s grade, it’s not my grade, it’s our grade.

“And of course Art (Rooney) will be involved because he is the owner and he knows every step of the process. He sits in on meetings when he can. He gives us input when he can and when he wants to. Of course we’re going to follow those leads, but I think he trusts us, as well, to present the information that, again, we’ve spent not only the last 11 months but these last three weeks of really trying to tie it all together and formulate an evaluation and formulate a pick that’s for the Pittsburgh
Steelers.”

Their philosophy has proved to be a key ingredient in their success. Pittsburgh has worked its way through the turmoil of salary cap availability and largely remaining quiet in free agency. The process relies on being productive with in confines of NFL Draft which again has proved to be the foundation to their success.

There is good depth we believe on the offensive line, the wide receivers, the running backs, the linebackers both inside and outside and the corners,” Colbert said. “There is okay depth at the tight end, the quarterback, and the safety positions, and I can be very up front and honest, there’s very limited depth in this year’s draft on the defensive line.”

It benefits Pittsburgh that the ‘good depth’ positions mentioned by Colbert are critical areas one would think the Steelers are going to pay attention to when the draft begins Thursday night in Cleveland.

 

First-Round 
2010 – Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida / Pro Bowl (9) / Retired
2011 – Cam Heyward, DE, Ohio State Pro Bowl (4)
2012 – David DeCastro, OL, Stanford Pro Bowl (6)
2013 – Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia / Free Agent
2014 – Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State / Pro Bowl (2) / Retired
2015 – Bud Dupree, LB, Kentucky / Tennessee Titans
2016 – Artie Burns, DB, Miami (Fla.) / Chicago Bears
2017 – T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin Pro Bowl (3)
2018 – Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech
2019 – Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
2020 – No Pick
Quick Hits

  • Pittsburgh used their 2020 pick in a trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, basically nine of their last 11 picks have been on defense in RD 1
  • All are Power 5 conference selections.
  • Last time the Steelers picked 24th overall they selected Bud Dupree in 2015
  • Artie Burns is the only defensive back (non-safety) taken in round one since 2000, taken 25th overall, Pittsburgh picks 24th in 2021

2021 Round 1: 24th overall
Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Caleb Farley, DB, Virginia Tech
Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State

Pick Is In
Caleb Farley, DB, Virginia Tech| 6’2 207

Second-Round
2010 – Jason Worilds, LB, Virginia Tech
2011 – Marcus Gilbert, OT, Florida
2012 – Mike Adams, OL, Ohio State
2013 – Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State Pro Bowl (3)
2014 – Stephon Tuitt, DT, Notre Dame
2015 – Senquez Golden, DB, Mississippi
2016 – Sean Davis, S, Maryland
2017 – JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC Pro Bowl (1)
2018 – James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
2019 – No Selection
2020 – Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
Quick Hits

  • Steelers have used a second-round pick on wide receiver five times since 2000
  • Currently the Steelers have 12 offensive lineman currently on the roster, the average height (6’5) & weight (311)
  • The last tight end drafted by Pittsburgh in second-round was Chris Kolodziejski out of Wyoming

Round 2: 55th overall
Possible Selections
Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
Pat Freirmuth, TE, Penn State
Kyle Trask, QB, Florida

Pick Is In
Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama | 6’6 312

Third-Round
2010 – Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU Pro Bowl (1 – with Denver Broncos)
2011 – Curtis Brown, DB, Texas
2012 – Sean Spence, LB, Miami
2013 – Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State
2014 – Dri Archer, WR/RB, Kent State
2015 – Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
2016 – Javon Hargrave, DT, South Carolina State
2017 – Cameron Sutton, DB, Tennessee State
2017 – James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh / Pro Bowl (1)
2018 – Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
2019 – Diontae Johnson, WR, Toledo / Second Team All-Pro
2019 – Justin Layne, DB, Michigan State
2020 – Alex Highsmith, LB, Charlotte
Quick Hits

    • Seven of the last 12 NFL Draft’s the Steelers have used a third-round pick on wide receiver
    • Heath Miller (1st RD 2005) & Matt Spaeth (3rd RD 2007) are the only two tight ends selected in the top three rounds under Colbert
    • Pittsburgh could duplicate the 2018 position pick (Mason Rudolph) with another quarterback
    • Hargrave was predicted correctly in 2016 mock draft

Round 3: 87th overall
Possible Selections
Davis Mills, QB, Stanford
D’Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan
Walker Little, OT, Stanford

Pick Is In
Walker Little, OT, Stanford | 6’7 320

Fourth-Round
2010 – Thaddues Gibson, DE, Ohio State
2011 – Cortez Allen, DB, Citadel
2012 – Alaeda Ta’amu, DT, Washington
2013 – Shamarko Thomas, S, Syracuse
2014 – Martavis Bryant, WR, Clemson
2015 – Doran Grant, DB, Ohio State
2016 – Jerad Hawskins, OL, LSU
2017 – Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee
2018 – None
2019 – Benny Snell, RB, Kentucky
2020 – Anthony McFarland Jr., RB, Maryland
2020 – Kevin Dotson, OL, Louisiana at Lafayette
Quick Hits

  • Linebacker & tight end been relatively invisible in round four since 2000, Larry Foote is the only linebacker taken since then with zero fourth-round tight ends
  • Two of the last three draft’s Pittsburgh has taken a running back in this round
  • Dotson selection was predicted correctly in last year’s mock draft

Round 4: 128 Overall
Possible Selections
Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC
Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State
Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa

Pick Is In
Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State | 6’0 215 

Round 4: 128 Overall
Possible Selections
Tre Brown, DB, Oklahoma
Brady Christensen, OL, BYU
Hunter Long, TE, Boston College

Pick Is In
Tre Brown, DB, Oklahoma | 5’10 186

Fifth-Round
2010 – Chris Scott, G, Tennessee
2010 – Crezdon Butler, DB, Clemson
2010 – Stevenson Sylvester, LB, Utah
2011 – Chris Carter, LB, Fresno State
2012 – Chris Rainey, RB, Florida
2013 – Terry Hawthorne, DB, Illinois
2014 – Shaquille Richardson, DB, Arizona
2014 – Wesley Johnson, OL, Vanderbilt
2015 – Jesse James, TE, Penn State
2016 – No Pick
2017 – Brian Allen, DB, Utah
2018 – Marcus Allen, S, Penn State
2019 – Zach Gentry, TE, Michigan
2020 – No Pick
Quick Hits

Round 5: No Pick

Sixth-Round
2010 – Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
2010 – Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan Pro Bowl (7)
2011 – Keith Williams, OG, Nebraska
2012 – No Pick
2013 – Justin Brown, WR, Oklahoma
2013 – Vince Williams, LB, Florida State
2014 – Jordan Zumwalt, LB, UCLA
2014 – Daniel McCullers, DL, Tennessee
2015 – Leterrius Walton, DE, Central Michigan
2015 – Anthony Chickello, LB, Miami
2016 – Travis Freeney, LB, Washington
2017 – Colin Holba, LS, Louisville
2018 – None
2019 – Sutton Smith, LB, Northern Illinois
2019 – Isaiah Buggs, DE, Alabama
2019 – Ulusses Giblert III, LB, Akron
2020 – Antoine Brooks, DB, Maryland
Quick Hits

  • No offensive players selected in sixth-round since 2013
  • Two selections from Central Michigan
  • MAC is on the board four times in sixth round since 2010

Round 6: 216 Overall
Possible Selections
Trey Ragas, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette
Nick Eubanks, TE, Michigan State
Derrick Barnes, LB, Purdue
Brady Breeze, S, Oregon

Pick Is In (179th overall)
Brady Breeze, S, Oregon | 6’0 200

Seventh-Round
2010 – Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State
2011 – Baron Batch, RB, Texas Tech
2012 – Toney Clemons, WR,Colorado
2012 – David Paulson, TE, Oregon
2012 – Terrance Frederick, DB, Tennessee
2012 – Kelvin Beachum, OG, SMU
2013 – Nick Williams, DT, Samford
2014 – Rob Blanchflower, TE, Massachusetts
2015 – Gerod Hamilton, S, Louisville
2016 – Demarcus Ayers, WR, Houston
2016 – Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple
2017 – Keion Adams, LB, Western Michigan
2018 – Joshua Frazier, DT, Alabama
2019 – Derwin Gray, T, Maryland
2020 – Carlos Davis, DT, Nebraska
Quick Hits

  • Three tight ends drafted since 2011 and two are from the 7thround and all on day 3 of NFL Draft
  • 101 starts from seventh round picks for Steelers (Beachum 99, Paulson 9, Ayers 1, Matakevich 1)
  • Nick Willliams had five starts for the Chicago Bears in 2019 (106 starts from players drafted in round seven under Colbert)
  • Deonte Harris, WR, Assumption was a guy I wanted them to take last year in this round. Ugh!

Round 7: 245 Overall
Possible Selections
Marlon Williams, WR, UCF
Jaylon Moore, OT, Western Michigan
Brandin Echols, DB, Kentucky

Pick Is In
Marlon Williams, WR, UCF | 6’0 215

Round 7: 254 Overall
Possible Selections
Harry Crider, OL, Indiana
Jack Anderson, Texas Tech
Brandin Echols, DB, Kentucky
Michael Carter II, S, Duke

Pick Is In
Harry Crider, OL, Indiana | 6’4 315

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