Steelers' 3 best, worst G/C draft picks in Kevin Colbert era

Editor’s note: This NFL Draft will be the 20th under the eye of Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. In conjunction with the Trib’s daily positional previews leading up to the April 25 start of the draft, we’ll look back at Colbert’s three best — and three worst — picks at each position.

Over a 15-year span, the Pittsburgh Steelers four times drafted an interior offensive lineman with their first-round pick. Each became a starter, and three were multi-time first-team All-Pros who have combined for 20 Pro Bowl berths.

Though Kevin Colbert was around for only three of those picks (he was hired two years after Tom Donahoe’s regime picked Hall of Fame finalist Alan Faneca at No. 26 overall in 1998), Colbert and Co. hit home runs with the selections of Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro two years apart at the start of this decade. They have anchored one of the NFL’s best offensive lines since.

The Colbert-guided pick of Kendall Simmons at No. 30 overall in 2002 also produced a six-year starter and Super Bowl champion.

Steelers drafts over the past two decades haven’t featured an egregious whiff on a guard or center, certainly not in the top half of the draft. Among the 12 interior linemen the Steelers have drafted since 2000, seven became reliable starters. The ones who didn’t were taken in the fifth round or later.

Three best

1. David DeCastro

2012, first round, 24th overall

It’s difficult distinguishing between DeCastro and Pouncey, so DeCastro earns top billing since he was picked six slots later in Round 1. Though his career got off to an injury-riddled start as a rookie, once he got into the lineup, DeCastro has been a rock at right guard.

2. Maurkice Pouncey

2010, first round, 18th overall

During any season in which Pouncey has finished at least one game, he has been named to the Pro Bowl. In all but one of those, he also has been honored as first- or second-team All-Pro. Pouncey has been a team leader and spokesman for almost a decade now, and he still is in his 20s.

3. Willie Colon

2006, fourth round, 131st overall

Colon edges Chris Kemoeatu (sixth round, 2005) on the basis of his career lasting longer and his versatility. Colon also played tackle, including during their most recent Super Bowl win. But as his career went on, he evolved into a steady guard on either side for the Steelers and, later, the New York Jets.

Three worst

1. Cameron Stephenson

2007, fifth round, 156th overall

Stephenson ended up the property of six NFL teams in addition to the United Football League and Arena League. But he never appeared in an NFL regular-season game, and his time with the Steelers was limited to less than four months.

2. Drew Caylor

2004, sixth round, 197th overall

Caylor likewise did not make it into a game for the Steelers, nor for any other NFL team. A Stanford alumnus, Caylor instead became the managing director of a private-equity firm.

3. Marvin Philip

2006, sixth round, 201st overall

Philip is another late-round pick who never made it onto the field for a regular-season game but who made a mark in business. For Philip, it was appearing on the popular TV show “Shark Tank” hawking a product that made it onto the market.

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