Former Pittsburgh Steelers CB Ike Taylor has been doing some scouting for the Steelers during the pre-draft cycle over the last two years, and he’s been able to see the inner workings of the front office and how the scouting staff works and prepares and studies prospects. During an episode of the Bleav In Steelers Podcast with host Mark Bergin, Taylor credited three Steelers front office personnel: scouting assistant Kelvin Fisher, director of college scouting Dan Colbert and director of player Scouting Mark Sadowski as some of the “best scouts in the world.”
“I feel like we got some of the best scouts. I feel like Kelvin Fisher is one of the best scouts in the world and I’m glad he’s in the building. I feel like [Mark Sadowski] is one of the best scouts in the world, glad he’s in the building. I feel like Dan Colbert, Junior’s one of the best scouts in the world and he’s in our building,” Taylor said.
He said Fisher and Sadowski aren’t afraid to stand up for their opinions, even if they may be unpopular among the staff.
“Kelvin’s like the OG, Kelvin Fisher, he got an eye. He got an eye. His eval be on point. Whether you like, he don’t care about the popular opinion. [Sadowski]’s been around a long time, went to Tulane with Omar [Khan], been around with the Saints, Chicago. [Sadowski] has a lot of unpopular people he like too, he’s been doing it for a long time.” He also added that Fisher takes “pride on finding people in the bottom of the draft.”
He said Dan Colbert, son of former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, grew up in the locker room “from a front office standpoint,” similar to how his son, Ivan, grew up in the Steelers locker room. Ivan is now a Notre Dame football commit.
Fisher was a college scout for the Steelers from 2000-2012, and Taylor credited him with finding Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, two small-school prospects in the later rounds of the draft. He rejoined the Pittsburgh scouting staff in 2018, and given his first stint with the organization, he’s very familiar with how the team operates and has been doing it for a long time. Sadowski joined Pittsburgh shortly after Omar Khan took over as GM in 2022, while Colbert grew up in the organization and has risen through the ranks of the scouting department.
Pittsburgh is coming off a year where so far, it looks like it hit on a number of picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Broderick Jones can be the left tackle of the future for the Steelers, Keeanu Benton looks like a building block on the defensive line, while Joey Porter Jr. has already ascended into a shutdown cornerback. Others, like Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington, had flashes during their rookie season and could become bigger contributors in the future. The scouting staff in Pittsburgh is among the most active when it comes to getting out and spreading out at Pro Days around the country, and the staff deserves a lot of credit for the success of Pittsburgh’s most recent draft.
The hope is that the Steelers have similar success this year, and the team needs to address key needs at center and wide receiver and could also look to add an offensive tackle. Pittsburgh got eyes on a lot of prospects this year, with Colbert, Fisher and Sadowski all showing up at multiple Pro Days, as well as Taylor. That work coupled with Taylor’s thoughts that those three are among the best scouts in the league should be a positive sign for Pittsburgh’s draft haul with the draft coming up on Thursday.
