When Kevin Colbert left the Pittsburgh Steelers, everyone knew that it was time. The long-time NFL general manager held his position for over two decades with the organization, and late in his career, he was going year-to-year with the team before finally retiring. But in hindsight, it's easy to see that the Steelers held onto Colbert five years too long.
Colbert will be remembered for building championship rosters early in his career and striking gold in the NFL Draft on players like Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, and Heath Miller, while later hitting on All-Pros like Maurkice Pouncey, Cam Heyward, and T.J. Watt.
But the final five draft classes Colbert assembled were some of the most brutal in the NFL during that span... and it was the worst stretch of his career.
From the 2018 NFL Draft to his final draft in 2022, Colbert had more than enough draft capital to work with, but somehow managed to botch most of his selections for the Steelers. The vast majority of these picks have either moved on to new organizations or have left the NFL completely.
Kevin Colbert's final 5 NFL Draft classes as GM of the Pittsburgh #Steelers:
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) July 7, 2025
This is... brutal. pic.twitter.com/GtELW0Bb1S
Based on impact to the team and the fact that he earned a second contract, Alex Highsmith was, by far, the best draft selection Colbert made in his final five seasons as GM of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other players, like George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, were good football players who fell out of favor quickly due to character issues.
Meanwhile, the Steelers got their value's worth out of their 2020 first-round pick with the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade in 2019, but the former All-Pro safety is no longer with the team following the blockbuster trade for Jalen Ramsey. Players like Najee Harris and Dan Moore Jr. were respectable starters who are no longer with the organization, and Kevin Dotson was better on his next team (the LA Rams).
This draft 'hits' were few and far between, and they didn't come close to outweighting the misses. What's worse is the despicable roster turnover the Steelers have already had. Of the 39 players drafted by the Steelers from 2018 to 2022, just eight remain with the team. Of those eight remaining draft picks from the final five years of the Colbert era, only three play notable roles (Highsmith, Pat Freiermuth, and Calvin Austin III).
Kevin Colbert's final five NFL Draft classes set the Pittsburgh Steelers back years
If you've been wondering why the Pittsburgh Steelers can't seem to improve year after year, look no further than what Kevin Colbert left this team with. In his final draft class, the former GM was fixated on finding Ben Roethlisberger's replacement and foolishly turned in his first-round pick for Kenny Pickett.
Colbert's most egregious class of his career, however, was the 2019 draft class fiasco. Despite possessing nine total selections and spending a first, second, and future third-round pick to move inside the top 10 picks of the draft, Colbert came away with a disgusting draft haul.
Devin Bush (the 10th overall pick) was a colossal disappointment, and though the Steelers got a few good seasons out of Diontae Johnson, the rest of the class offered almost nothing. Since the end of the 2024 offseason, not a single player remained from Colbert's 2019 draft class, and most couldn't make it through their rookie contracts before being cut loose.
Even now, Freiermuth—who is arguably Colbert's second-best selection over his final five years as GM when you factor in longevity and impact—is nothing more than a slightly above average starting tight end. The former second-round pick is still here (which is more than can be said about most of Colbert's final picks), but he might receive a demotion with Jonnu Smith coming to Pittsburgh via trade.
We tend to remember the great players that Kevin Colbert brought to the Pittsburgh Steelers over the years, and that's okay. But we can't forget about how ugly things got in the draft for Colbert over his final five seasons as the Steelers' general manager. Sadly, we're still feeling the effects of his numerous draft mistakes.