Kevin Colbert spent 22 years in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office, overseeing every draft pick from WR Plaxico Burress to QB Chris Oladokun. Burress is the last player the Steelers have ever drafted inside the top 10. Colbert’s success is a key reason they never drafted that high over the next two decades.
And he forged a critical part of his legacy through the draft. Just like everybody else, he doesn’t have a spotless record, but he has a lot of triples and home runs. Oladokun was a strikeout, even if an insignificant one as a seventh-round flyer. But that was his at-bat.
According to Gerry Dulac, the Steelers allowed him to make that selection to cap off his career. They are known for making decisions organizationally rather than individually, so this particular claim is notable but not surprising.
“So, just to be clear, Tomlin didn’t draft Chris Oladokun. Kevin Colbert did with the final pick he was given to end his career,” he said during a recent chat session. His answer came in response to a question about head coach Mike Tomlin’s succession efforts after QB Ben Roethlisberger.
Dulac then specified that Colbert made the pick for Oladokun, not Tomlin. The Baltimore Ravens did the same thing when long-time general manager Ozzie Newsome retired. He used his final selection on small-school DL Zach Sieler, who is now a 50-game starter for the Miami Dolphins.
Colbert’s final months as general manager primarily involved seeking options at quarterback. The Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky in free agency and drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round. He used his final draft pick for a shot in the dark in Oladokun.
To his credit, he ended up with a two-time Super Bowl champion. Oladokun has two rings as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad. He never had much of a chance of ever making the team in Pittsburgh, frankly.
Though they only spent a seventh-round draft pick, the selection drew significant criticism. The primary argument against the move is that it was a waste. The way the roster construction developed, Oladokun never would have been able to seriously contend for a roster spot.
Still, it’s a nice gesture that the Steelers gave Colbert reign to make the final selection. He did draft WR George Pickens in the second round, but the rest of that class isn’t looking great. The Steelers are already challenging Pickett for his starting job. Third-round DL DeMarvin Leal finished his second season as a healthy scratch. Nobody else is anything more than just a bit part, including Connor Heyward and Calvin Austin III.
Colbert had a very successful run as general manager for two decades. Not many can say they assembled multiple Super Bowl-winning rosters. Perhaps he didn’t go out on top, but he may one day join a number of his draft picks in Canton. Troy Polamalu is already there, and Ben Roethlisberger and T.J. Watt will almost certainly join him.
