Steelers' 3 best, 3 worst ILB draft picks in Kevin Colbert era

Editor’snote: This NFL Draft will be the 20th under the eye of Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. His two-decade tenure has produced two Super Bowls and a consistent playoff contender. Colbert’s drafts mostly reflect that. Like all NFL personnel men, though, he has had some picks he’d like to have back. In conjunction with the Trib’s daily positional previews leading to the start of the draft Thursday, we’ll look back at Colbert’s three best and three worst picks at each position.

The Steelers have been known for their linebackers as much as any position.

The team has shown its ability to identify and develop inside linebackers during the past two decades.

Some players can slot at inside or outside linebacker, but general consensus is the Steelers have selected 10 inside linebackers under Kevin Colbert. All five who were taken in the first four rounds became multiyear starters, and two others who were late-round picks became solid special-teamers.

Only two of the 10 didn’t make it in the league, but as sixth-round picks, neither was an egregious miss. And how good have the higher-end Steelers draft picks at inside linebacker been? Pro Bowlers Lawrence Timmons and Kendrell Bell didn’t make the “top three” list.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Three best

1. Larry Foote

2002, 4th round, 128th overall

Thirteen NFL seasons, 187 games, 540 tackles, two Super Bowl rings and a spot in the middle of one of the NFL’s best defenses of his generation? Yeah, that’s good value for a pick in the second half of the draft.

2. Ryan Shazier

2014, 1st round, 15th overall

We’ll never know where Shazier’s career would be had he not suffered the spinal injury that has cost him, to this point, two-plus seasons. Some thought the Steelers reached for the undersized Ohio State product at No. 15 when he was picked, but Shazier’s speed and athleticism proved it was a solid choice.

3. Vince Williams

2013, 6th round, 206th overall

Williams isn’t as dynamic as Timmons, and Williams never will have a season as dominant as Bell did as a rookie in 2001. But he’s a pure Steeler: a favorite of teammates and the coaching staff who will leave a legacy as a multiyear starter. And all as a sixth-round pick.

Three worst

1. Roger Knight

2001, 6th round, 182nd overall

Knight played inside and outside linebacker at Wisconsin, but he didn’t show enough during his rookie training camp for the Steelers to keep him on the roster. With smaller practice squads back then, that was it, and his tenure with the organization lasted four months.

2. Jordan Zumwalt

2014, 6th round, 192nd overall

Zumwalt was set back by injury, which cost him his first two preseasons and derailed any chance he had of making the team. But even when healthy at Saint Vincent in 2016, Zumwalt didn’t stand out, and he was cut.

3. Stevenson Sylvester

2010, 5th round, 166th overall

This might be unfair to Sylvester, a gregarious core special-teamer who filled in to start two games during a four-year career with the Steelers. He played in 50 NFL games, which is more than many fifth-rounders can say.

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