Kevin Colbert's Latest Kenny Pickett Take Reopens Painful Steelers Draft Debate

In the NFL, even the game's greatest legends eventually face a harsh reality: the sport passes everyone by. Whether it's Chuck Noll, Bill Belichick, Ron Wolf, or even a future Hall of Famer like former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, the game waits for no one. By all accounts, Colbert played a crucial role in helping the Pittsburgh Steelers return to championship form and win two Super Bowls. However, even he wasn't immune to the effects of a changing league. Many of his late-career decisions reflected that reality. Colbert recently joined 93.7 The Fan, and his comments regarding the selection of quarterback Kenny Pickett offered another example of that decline in judgment.

The 2022 NFL Draft featured a weak quarterback class. Pickett was widely viewed as the consensus top quarterback available. The Pitt product broke Dan Marino's passing records and led the Panthers to an ACC championship during his fifth season. However, Pickett had been largely underwhelming during his first four collegiate seasons before putting everything together in 2021. Even then, scouts did not view him as a franchise-changing quarterback. He possessed a relatively high floor but a limited ceiling. At best, many projected him as an average NFL starter.

Colbert saw it differently.

"We projected Kenny to be a start, and win, NFL quarterback," Colbert told 93.7 The Fan's Pomp and Joe Show.

What he said next, however, illustrated just how far his evaluation process had drifted.

"He lived up to that in his first two seasons with us … He was 14-10 and trending in the right direction."

Where Colbert Was Wrong about Pickett

To be fair, Colbert was never going to criticize Pickett on a radio show. He has consistently taken the high road and spoken positively about former players, even when they may not have earned that praise. However, he went on to call Pickett a "great competitor" and suggested he could continue building on those first two seasons. That's where Colbert got it wrong.

Pickett is what he is: a career backup. He hasn't demonstrated the traits of a fierce competitor. Instead, he requested a fresh start when the Steelers signed Russell Wilson and threatened his standing atop the depth chart. Since leaving Pittsburgh, he hasn't won a starting job despite landing on teams that entered training camp with major questions at quarterback.

The continued defense of Pickett is merely a symptom of Colbert's late-career shortcomings. When you dig deeper, the pattern becomes even more concerning.

How Colbert Helped Build Steelers Championships

For much of his career, Colbert maintained a simple philosophy: draft the best player available. The approach didn't always work, but it produced remarkable results. Between 2000 and 2007, Colbert selected Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Casey Hampton, Heath Miller, and Lawrence Timmons in the first round. Those players became foundational pieces of championship teams, and several are either Hall of Famers or Hall of Fame-caliber talents.

And that's only looking at first-round selections. A review of Colbert's drafts from 1999 through 2015 reveals a clear commitment to selecting the best talent on the board rather than chasing immediate needs. More often than not, the strategy paid off. From 2016 through 2022, however, the Steelers appeared to move away from that philosophy. They increasingly prioritized positional needs over pure talent, and the shift ultimately hurt the franchise. The warning signs began earlier.

In 2013, Pittsburgh selected Jarvis Jones. Jones was a respected prospect and an outstanding individual, but his pre-draft testing raised significant concerns. Colbert made the pick anyway, and it never worked out. The selection appeared to be a direct response to James Harrison's departure as a cap casualty, with the Steelers seeking an immediate replacement. You would have thought they learned their lesson. Instead, it was only the beginning.

A Change in the Steelers' Approach

In 2016, the Steelers again appeared to reach in the first round when they selected Artie Burns. The pick felt reactionary after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted William Jackson III before Pittsburgh could. The Steelers desperately needed cornerback help, but Burns never developed into the player they hoped he would become. The 2017 draft proved exceptional and marked the last truly great draft class of Colbert's tenure.

In 2018, Pittsburgh again reached for need by selecting Terrell Edmunds. In 2019, the Steelers aggressively addressed another need by trading significant draft capital for Devin Bush. That same year, however, they made one of their best personnel decisions of the era by acquiring Minkah Fitzpatrick for a 2020 first-round pick.

Then came 2021. While Najee Harris was a strong prospect, the Steelers once again prioritized a glaring need by selecting a running back in the first round. Colbert failed to recognize that the roster needed a broader talent infusion rather than short-term fixes. That brings us to 2022.

Colbert's Final Draft and Big Mistake

Pickett represented the "safe" quarterback choice. However, he wasn't the best player available on the board. Hindsight certainly helps, but reports indicated Colbert attempted to trade up for Pickett much like he did for Bush in 2019. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, no deal materialized. Unfortunately, the Steelers still selected Pickett.

Colbert spent the latter stages of his career trying to maximize Ben Roethlisberger's remaining window. In doing so, he drifted away from the philosophy that helped build championship rosters in the first place. Rather than reaching for immediate needs, the Steelers would have been better served by continuing to accumulate elite talent and making strategic moves similar to the Fitzpatrick trade when opportunities arose.

None of this diminishes Colbert's legacy. He remains one of the greatest general managers in NFL history and deserves tremendous credit for helping build multiple championship teams. But his defense of Pickett, and the decision to draft him in the first place, serves as a reminder that even the game's legends eventually get passed by.

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 2:47 PM.