SteelerFury Combined Forum

Only 3 players remain from Tomlin/Colbert last 5 draft classes…Rudolf, Pat and Highsmith….zero 1st round picks remain, that’s horrible.

https://x.com/tommyjaggi/status/2032482 ... oyaTP8k5jg

Hey…remember when 85% of this board, including most of the “experts” were going goo goo ga ga over Mark fucking Robinson?
Yeah, me too!

Jobu wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 1:27 am

Hey…remember when 85% of this board, including most of the “experts” were going goo goo ga ga over Mark fucking Robinson?
Yeah, me too!

Perhaps that sprinting to the podium strategy wasn't so good after all?

That drafting is a dumpster fire. Minkah was the best player on there and he wasn't even drafted by us.

Many of us, including myself, had pointed out for years that the scouting department had gotten stale and was full of North Catholic drinking buddies who didn't travel west of Ohio. Combine that with Tomlin and his desire to find redeemable young men, and you have a DISASTER.

That sh*t came back to bite us. Art The Clown let it happen though.

Hope they do better in round 3

StillerDownSouth wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 1:21 am

Only 3 players remain from Tomlin/Colbert last 5 draft classes…Rudolf, Pat and Highsmith….zero 1st round picks remain, that’s horrible.

https://x.com/tommyjaggi/status/2032482 ... oyaTP8k5jg

It’s a stretch to say rudolph ‘remains’ from tombert drafting…he was signed as a FA from tennessee.

They actually drafted extremely well outside of round 1... the fact that they chose not to retain some of the best prospects on this list tells be the coaching staff did a terrible job of choosing and developing talent

George Pickens & Kevin Dotson are home run picks and they got rid of them for next to nothing. CA3, Chuks, & Connor Heyward are good role guys.

But yeah those 1st round picks and what it cost to get those players... oof.

bradshaw2ben wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 1:51 pm

They actually drafted extremely well outside of round 1... the fact that they chose not to retain some of the best prospects on this list tells be the coaching staff did a terrible job of choosing and developing talent

George Pickens & Kevin Dotson are home run picks and they got rid of them for next to nothing. CA3, Chuks, & Connor Heyward are good role guys.

But yeah those 1st round picks and what it cost to get those players... oof.

Some of this I see as Colbert letting the scouting department go to hell

bradshaw2ben wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 1:51 pm

They actually drafted extremely well outside of round 1... the fact that they chose not to retain some of the best prospects on this list tells be the coaching staff did a terrible job of choosing and developing talent

But yeah those 1st round picks and what it cost to get those players... oof.

This is where I've been at for a while. Also, it was explained that the R1 pick is usually HC/GM/Owner, and then the next two picks usually go to the OC and DC...and then later on down they are giving a lot of weight to the position coaches.

So the bolded with your R1 comment is really interesting, right?

Also, WTF was the deal with Colbert acting like addressing QB was a simple as just drafting your top guy in R1?!? Drafting a QB is just as simple as setting your mind to it!


Colbert, with Cowher, assembled a team that SHOULD have been a dynasty. I really don't think Colbert was the problem with our drafts.

.Kodiak wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 5:49 pm

bradshaw2ben wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 1:51 pm

They actually drafted extremely well outside of round 1... the fact that they chose not to retain some of the best prospects on this list tells be the coaching staff did a terrible job of choosing and developing talent

But yeah those 1st round picks and what it cost to get those players... oof.

This is where I've been at for a while. Also, it was explained that the R1 pick is usually HC/GM/Owner, and then the next two picks usually go to the OC and DC...and then later on down they are giving a lot of weight to the position coaches.

So the bolded with your R1 comment is really interesting, right?

Also, WTF was the deal with Colbert acting like addressing QB was a simple as just drafting your top guy in R1?!? Drafting a QB is just as simple as setting your mind to it!


Colbert, with Cowher, assembled a team that SHOULD have been a dynasty. I really don't think Colbert was the problem with our drafts.

I think everyone also forgets that when they signed Ben to $C2, the salary cap stalled for 3 seasons when had them dumping players that they would have kept. That they won the SB in 2008 with that Oline is all on Ben.

I think Cobert was a problem but he inherited a good scouting department and Cowher had a plan. You can tell Colbert had the 1st pick over Tomlin. Tomlin loved his ultra athletic guys who might be able to play football(Shazier, Timmons, Dupree, Edmunds, Claypool and Burns). Colbert liked the stats guys like Najee and Jarvis Jones.

Tomlin has this failed experiment of getting 3 techs and hoping they can play NT. And I do not think Tomlin had a plan on offense other than what the OC and Ben thought. In the end, Colbert was drafting like the Steelers had one more run in them by getting guys like Najee and Pat.

.Kodiak wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 5:49 pm

bradshaw2ben wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2026 1:51 pm

They actually drafted extremely well outside of round 1... the fact that they chose not to retain some of the best prospects on this list tells be the coaching staff did a terrible job of choosing and developing talent

But yeah those 1st round picks and what it cost to get those players... oof.

This is where I've been at for a while. Also, it was explained that the R1 pick is usually HC/GM/Owner, and then the next two picks usually go to the OC and DC...and then later on down they are giving a lot of weight to the position coaches.

So the bolded with your R1 comment is really interesting, right?

Also, WTF was the deal with Colbert acting like addressing QB was a simple as just drafting your top guy in R1?!? Drafting a QB is just as simple as setting your mind to it!


Colbert, with Cowher, assembled a team that SHOULD have been a dynasty. I really don't think Colbert was the problem with our drafts.

I have pointed this out previously, and it by no means definitive

But

Donahoe / Cowher excellent
Donahoe to the Bills He fails miserably

Colbert / Cowher excellent

Cowher leaves

Colbert / Tomlin mediocre to bad


So, maybe all the draft success was Cowher


I haven’t looked at the other variables such as scouts - but the above is a fair assessment on face value

Edit: Oh yeah, it’s also fair to point out, Colbert pre Steelers, pretty much sucked, as well.

So more weight on the Cowher side of the argument

Looking back, with the exception of ‘’06 and ‘08, every class from 2000-2013 was ‘good’ (combined wAV > 120), where things went to hell after that (every class except ‘17 starting with ‘14 has been < 120, though obviously plenty of opportunity for very recent classes to surpass that mark with lots of currently active players).

Looking for what was different around 2013, it appears Roy Hughes was in charge of our college scouting from 2003ish to 2013, and then Phil Kreidler took over from 2014 to 2022, when he got ‘promoted’ from ‘college scouting coordinator’ to ‘assistant scout’. Could also be relevant that Bill Nunn, who was a key college talent guy for the steelers from 1970 to 2014, passed away a few days after witnessing Kreidler’s first draft in 2014.

You don't hear much from the diehard Tomlin fans any longer.

Colbert drafts ranked by combined career AV:

Year [combined wAV] (remaining active NfL players)
2010 280
2002 255
2017 219 (4)
2000 206
2007 187
2009 182
2004 177
2011 170 (1)
2012 158 (1)
2013 159
2003 151
2001 131
2005 123
2021 118 (6)
2016 105 (2)
2006 101
2014 101
2018 87 (3)
2019 98 (1)
2020 89 (2)
2022 74 (7)
2023 73 (7)
2015 76 (1)
2008 52
2024 44 (6)
2025 10 (7)

(Summary: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 were all bad. Hell of a rough stretch)

that just shows how ignorant ‘true’ steeler fans are.
every year giving the steelers an A draft grade

Mick wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 15, 2026 6:07 pm

Colbert drafts ranked by combined career AV:

Year [combined wAV] (remaining active NfL players)
2010 280
2002 255
2017 219 (4)
2000 206
2007 187
2009 182
2004 177
2011 170 (1)
2012 158 (1)
2013 159
2003 151
2001 131
2005 123
2021 118 (6)
2016 105 (2)
2006 101
2014 101
2018 87 (3)
2019 98 (1)
2020 89 (2)
2022 74 (7)
2023 73 (7)
2015 76 (1)
2008 52
2024 44 (6)
2025 10 (7)

(Summary: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 were all bad. Hell of a rough stretch)

pretty much lines up with tomlin gaining more control over overall operations.
early in his career he wasn’t allowed to hire his own coaches or draft his guys.
as time went on, he was given that opportunity.
his post season success was with cowhers players and coaches… that can’t be denied.