5 best Pittsburgh Steelers draft picks of the Kevin Colbert era

The Steelers have drafted several ‘gems’ during the Kevin Colbert era

Quite frankly. this list was tough for me to compile as there have been several tremendous players drafted in the Colbert era.  Players such as Maurkice Pouncey, Cameron Heyward, David DeCastro and Ben Roethlisberger.

Speaking of Roethlisberger, let me address why I left him off the list.  Full disclosure:  I am a ‘Big Ben’ fan and supporter.  It will be a sad day for Steelers fans when he calls it quits.  Until that time comes, let’s enjoy the years we have left with him.

I heard a story years ago that ‘Big Ben’ was not the original target of Colbert and company.  It took the intervention of Mr. Rooney in order for the Steelers to draft the player who would become our franchise quarterback.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Curiously, the Steelers were eyeing up Arkansas tackle Shawn Andrews with the 11th overall pick, partly because they didn’t think Roethlisberger would be available to them. They didn’t expect the kid from Findlay, Ohio, to get past the home-state Cleveland Browns, who had the pick right before them. But the Browns passed on Roethlisberger and took tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., largely because they had just signed quarterback Jeff Garcia to a four-year, $25 million contract one month earlier. In his book, “Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL,” the late Steelers chairman said he “couldn’t bear the thought” of passing on another great quarterback. The Steelers did that in 1983 when they passed on drafting Marino, the hometown kid, and instead selected defensive tackle Gabe Rivera. So Rooney said he “steered” the conversation in the draft room to Roethlisberger."

Suffice to say that while there have been some ‘misses’ during the Kevin Colbert ear, there have also been some awesome ‘hits’. Here’s to hoping the trend continues.