The Steelers lost out on Kelvin Beachum and his long career of stability
Kevin Colbert had some quality draft picks in the later rounds throughout his career as the Steelers General manager. Many will immediately point to Antonio Brown in the sixth round, and for good reason as he was one of the best receivers of all time. One player that gets overlooked often is Kelvin Beachum, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
It was a slow start to Beachum's career in Pittsburgh, but he was able to develop and grow into a starting spot at left tackle. He was a quality starter there and the Steelers had to decide when he became eligible to become a free agent. Basically, it was either going to be him or Ramon Foster to be re-signed that offseason.
Pittsburgh decided to go with Foster as he was a leader and they believed that Alejandro Villanueva would be able to step in as the starter at left tackle. Things worked out for both sides as Beachum got paid handsomely by the Jets and is still having a long and productive career at tackle. Villanueva was able to be a solid starter on the left side for a handful of seasons.
Even though Villanueva was able to be a cheap option and fill out the offensive line, Beachum was still a better quality at the position. If the Steelers had to redo things and could make the decision again, it would seem like Beachum would be the wiser choice over Foster. It is harder to replace a starting left tackle in this league rather than a guard.