Kevin Colbert says NFL Draft is 'wide open' for Steelers in 1st round

Factoring in the changes along the offensive line, a left tackle or center could be a priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Given that the Steelers finished last in rushing in 2020, a workhorse running back could get the nod with the 24^th overall selection.

After losing starters at outside linebacker and cornerback, those positions could be in play when that pick is announced Thursday night.

Just don’t ask general manager Kevin Colbert to tip his hand before that pick is submitted to the league office.

“We’re wide open,” Colbert said Monday at a predraft press conference. “We’re not going in looking at any one position or any one group of positions. We’re going to be wide open to anything and see where this goes.”

The Steelers have eight picks in the three-day process, including five of the first 140, which Colbert emphasized during the meeting with the media.

Two years after trading up 10 spots to select inside linebacker Devin Bush, Colbert said it would be “very doubtful” for the Steelers to move up in the first round, citing the “value” the organization places on the picks it holds.

Colbert, though, didn’t discount the possibility of trading back in the first round. The Steelers haven’t traded down in the opening round in 20 years, since they dropped three spots to No. 19 and selected nose tackle Casey Hampton. They also gained picks in the fourth and sixth rounds in that trade.

“If we’re not comfortable with what we’re looking at with the 24^th pick, we’ll trade back,” Colbert said.

In order to trade back, the Steelers may have to negotiate with teams from within their division. The Cleveland Browns hold the No. 26 pick, and the Baltimore Ravens have the Nos. 27 and 31 selections.

“Do we want to do it with a division team? That wouldn’t be our preference,” Colbert said. “But we won’t discount that completely.”

Colbert praised the depth of this draft class along the offensive line, running back, wide receiver, cornerback and inside and outside linebacker. That could give the Steelers plenty of options as their time on the clock approaches Thursday.

“If we like a player, 95% of the time we’re going to take that player and not trade back,” coach Mike Tomlin said on a Steelers Nation Unite fan chat later Monday. “If we trade back, I like to do it on a 100% guarantee that we’ll get a player that we like. … We’ll always value quality over quantity, but in a given year we may have to trade back and accomplish both.”

Colbert said he would not be reluctant to take a running back in the first round even though the NFL trend is to get backs in later rounds. In 2020, the first running back wasn’t selected until the final pick of the first round.

“I don’t think you can ever underestimate the value of a quality player at any position, and running back is no different,” he said. “I understand the game has changed. It’s a more horizontal game than it is a vertical game. … If you have a dynamic player at any position, that player should make a difference. Running back is no different. I think if you look at the Hall of Fame runners, most of those guys were taken in high rounds.”

Prefacing his answer by stating that depth charts in April “don’t mean anything,” Tomlin said Chuks Okorafor is in line to start at left tackle, and Cam Sutton is the top candidate to replace cornerback Steve Nelson.

Center is a position that is expected to be addressed early in the draft because of Maurkice Pouncey’s retirement.

“The center position is unusually deep this year,” Colbert said. “Usually the centers, there aren’t a lot in a given draft, but we feel good there are quality centers in this draft that are starter capable.”

Colbert said it is “absolutely” feasible for the Steelers to draft a quarterback, citing that three of the four on the roster, including Ben Roethlisberger, are entering the final year of their contracts. Tomlin, though, praised the signing of former first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins shortly after the season ended.

Haskins made 13 starts with Washington over his first two seasons before being released late in the season.

“We’re excited about working with him and seeing what his skill set is and helping him improve as well,” Tomlin said.