When it comes to Pittsburgh Steelers’ General Manager Kevin Colbert and his sessions with the media, he’s going to be a straight shooter most of the time, without revealing too much.
So when Colbert addressed the QB class ahead of the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Tuesday with the media and then later with Steelers Nation Radio, Colbert’s comments definitely perked up some ears.
Appearing on SNR Tuesday afternoon with hosts Dale Lolley and Matt Williamson, Colbert was asked about the evaluation process at the quarterback position post-Ben Roethlisberger, and if his process studying the position has changed due to the clear need the Steelers have. His answer was a bit surprising, stating that the Steelers must be honest in their evaluation and not bump up the current crop of quarterbacks overall in their opinions simply due to positional need.
“No, we have to be careful to not over evaluate a player based on who we have. We have to be honest about the evaluation and not over inflate an opinion based on, well, if you don’t do it now, you’re not gonna,” Colbert said, according to audio from SNR. “That type of stuff. You have to protect against that and give a true evaluation. Whether we make that decision or that pick, that’ll come together over time. But sometimes when you artificially evaluate a player and give him, well, you know, more than he really is, it’s dangerous.
“And you have to be honest with yourself and not make that evaluation based on a given talent. And we also, you know, we have to evaluate every position because when you’re stacked at a position thar you might be looking at, and you’re not looking at this one, if you don’t do it correctly, then this will push this guy up further. Whereas if this guy’s in that given range, it gives you a true sense of where they are league wide.”
Obviously the Steelers are going to do their due diligence and have all of their scouts crosscheck and cross reference any and all quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft that they feel good about as potential draft picks. But it’s great to hear Colbert come out and talk about needing to be careful in this process despite knowing the need is great at the position moving forward.
At times, teams can over inflate (as Colbert says) a prospect at a certain position based on need, so it’s important that the Steelers guard against that, allowing them to make the best, most informed decision possible at the quarterback position in the 2022 NFL Draft, even if that means passing on the position entirely.
