Selecting Terrell Edmunds in the first round came as a shock to the majority of Steelers’ Nation. There were those who thought it was too much of a reach, plain and simple, and others who argued the team could’ve traded back a few spots.
Kevin Colbert, speaking on Sirius Radio this past Monday, disagreed, and said with Edmunds on the board, the team never considered getting out of the first.
“If we like the player where we are comfortable with where he had him and he’s available at that spot, 98% of the time we’ll take him rather than trade back,” Colbert said. “If there was two or three players you were comfortable in that spot, maybe you drop back two or three spots if you have 100% chance of still getting one of those guys. Honestly, we had Terrell ranked right there where he was certainly a first round pick in our estimations. We were very comfortable taking him and never thought about trading away.”
It’s just more acknowledgement of what was rumored leading up to the draft. Right or wrong, the draft community underestimated where Edmunds was going to be selected. Most had him in the middle of Day Two, some even later than that, but it sounds like there were several teams who viewed him as a first rounder or at least, a borderline one. Obviously, the Steelers were in that former camp.
The decision was made easier without any of the top inside linebackers left on the board. Rashaan Evans, according to multiple reports, was going to be their selection had he fallen or the Steelers been able to work out a trade to go up and get him. Neither happened and the Tennessee Titans scooped him up several picks ahead. In that sense, consider Edmunds a “fallback” option but to hear Colbert tell it, in their minds, it wasn’t a reach.
Edmunds is expected to be part of the Steelers’ dime packages, with three safeties on the field, to begin his career.
