The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003. That means they’re usually picking later in the first round in the draft. Despite that, they’ve continued to find quality players. While they’ve had their share of misses, they’ve had some great hits, too. Steelers director of pro scouting Sheldon White recently explained what the team looks for when drafting in that range.
“When you’re picking in the draft, there’s usually between three and seven dudes real dudes,” White said Monday on the YouTube channel Las Vegas Raiders Insider with Hondo Carpenter. “After that, you’re selecting really solid players. If you’re able to grab a guy like T.J. Watt and develop them later, that’s awesome. Baltimore has Lamar Jackson. You have some of those players that don’t go that high that end up being those guys, but the reality of it is, when you’re picking down there, you’re looking for what we call Steelers.
“They have to have the characteristics, the culture that we’re looking to build here. Have to fit in our system and how we want to do business. They have to be great teammates. You’re looking for a lot of those intangibles on top of the skill set to make sure when you’re picking down there, you’re picking a great teammate and a guy that’s gonna blend right in and hit the ground running.”
Since 2000, the Steelers have picked in the top 10 twice, one of those the result of a trade up. Usually, they’ve found themselves picking in the 20s. That tends to mean they miss out on the best talent in the draft.
My favorite Kevin Colbert fact.
In his first NFL Draft, the Steelers held the 8th overall pick.
Over the rest of his tenure, Pittsburgh never drafted that high again.
He built a consistent winner. That's so hard to do. #Steelers
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) April 25, 2023
Like White says, sometimes the Steelers find a game changer like Watt, but that’s not common. However, since 2000, they’ve still managed to draft 10 Pro Bowl players in the first round. That doesn’t include players Santonio Holmes, who didn’t make a Pro Bowl but had a huge impact on the Steelers.
Landing those kinds of players in the draft isn’t easy. Look at the Cleveland Browns. They’ve been picking near the top of the draft for most of the past 25 years, and they’ve continued to be one of the worst teams in the league. The Steelers haven’t had that issue, likely thanks to their great continuity and culture.
However, Pittsburgh’s desire to take “Steelers” in the draft hasn’t always worked out. Kenny Pickett is a great example. The Steelers had a huge need at quarterback in 2022, but that position wasn’t a strength of the draft.
Despite that, the Steelers took Pickett 20th overall. Part of that was likely due to their familiarity with him. He probably fit with what their definition of a “Steeler” is, even though he didn’t have first round-caliber abilities.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers should overhaul their process, though. It’s worked well for them in the past. However, with Omar Khan taking over for Kevin Colbert a few years ago, there have been slight changes to how Pittsburgh does business. While the franchise’s draft strategy hasn’t looked too altered, it might’ve gotten updated.
The Steelers have gone through a slight rough patch in recent years. However, they’ve continued to add talent. Their first-round picks haven’t been home runs, but there’s still time for some of them to develop. Their draft philosophy is just another example of how the Steelers’ culture helps them continue to succeed, though.
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