Saying that it’s not easy to draft a franchise quarterback would be an understatement. Teams like the Cleveland Browns haven’t done it since before the Beatles existed. Other teams, like the Detroit Lions, found their franchise’s savior, but squandered his time with them by not building a good enough overall roster. The Pittsburgh Steelers avoided both of those issues during the 2004 NFL Draft, selecting Ben Roethlisberger just outside of the top 10 and then going on to win two Super Bowls with him under center.
The Steelers’ selection of Roethlisberger wasn’t as obvious to the public as it seems like it should have been though. Back then, media coverage of the draft was nowhere near as expansive as it is now. Many people have also heard the story about how the Steelers were initially planning on drafting an offensive lineman, until team owner Dan Rooney heavily suggested that they pivot and take Roethlisberger. However, it seems that the front office may have been more infatuated with Roethlisberger than that story hints at.
Mark Gorscak worked as a Steelers scout for more than 25 years, becoming more well-known to the general public for working the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Gorscak recently retired from his scouting duties, and in an appearance on the podcast Scouting the League, he was asked about the 2004 draft and why the team selected Roethlisberger.
“Phil Kreidler and Kevin [Colbert] went live to see him play, and that’s when they fell in love with him. I fell in love with him, and I didn’t scout him off the tape, but every time I watched TV, it was like, this guy’s productive. He had a heck of a game against LSU. We didn’t have much of a discussion about trading up into the top two because of draft capital and all that stuff,” Gorscak said when asked if the team had any plans on trading up to select Philip Rivers or Eli Manning. “Kevin would make trades, but they were real calculated, like when we traded up for Troy Polamalu. He felt confident that he was gonna get a good football player at 11 and he was just gonna hold water.”
Looking back on the play of a young Roethlisberger, it’s apparent why Kreidler, another longtime mainstay in the Steelers’ scouting department, and Colbert, the team’s former general manager and then its director of football operations, became enamored with him. At the same time, when looking at all of the drafts under Colbert, it makes complete sense that the Steelers had no plans to move up in the draft, even if to select Roethlisberger. Colbert’s plan was almost always to stick and pick, allowing the player to come to them.
Thankfully, Roethlisberger did fall to the Steelers, and Gorscak expressed the feelings of the scouting room when looking back.
“We’re glad we got Ben and all that stuff. It just all worked out and all fell the right way, but that’s how the draft works sometimes. Things just fall right into your lap and you say ‘Wow,’” Gorscak said of Roethlisberger lasting until the Steelers’ selection at 11.
It seems like the Steelers weren’t expecting Roethlisberger to make it to their pick, so that could be one explanation for why they planned on taking an offensive tackle. Whatever the case, fans share the exact same feelings on the matter as Gorscak. Roethlisberger arguably had the greatest career out of the entire 2004 quarterback class with the jewelry to prove it. The Steelers’ philosophy of not being aggressive in moving up in the draft was frustrating at times, but when looking at cases like with Roethlisberger, it’s hard to argue against it.
