In today’s NFL, you are going to be as good as your ability to draft, develop and keep prospects. There was a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the best drafting teams in the league under former General Manager Kevin Colbert. But in Colbert’s final years, things went off the rails and he left the team in a tough spot after his final five drafts.
Going into the 2025 season, two players the Steelers drafted from 2018-2022 will be in the starting lineup in Pittsburgh. Edge defender Alex Highsmith and tight end Pat Freiermuth are both excellent players but not elite. Potentially, wide receiver Calvin Austin III could be the third starter from these drafts, but frankly, we aren’t holding our breath.
Perhaps no pick has hung around the neck of the Steelers more than quarterback Kenny Pickett. The Steelers spent a first-round pick on Pickett in 2022 in a quarterback class that no other team wanted to touch. This pick set the Steelers back to this day and even now, going into 2025, with an aging Aaron Rodgers running the offense as a one-year rental.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers struggles point directly at former GM Kevin Colbert and his poor drafting