Steelers' Kevin Colbert has one last chance to select tackle in 1st round of NFL Draft

With his time as Pittsburgh Steelers general manager winding down, Kevin Colbert has one last chance to fill a missing piece on his first-round draft pick resume.

In the 22 drafts he has run, Colbert has submitted a card in the first round 21 times, with 2020 being the exception. He has drafted three prospects apiece at outside and inside linebacker, two at running back, wide receiver, safety, guard and defensive end, and one each at nose tackle, center, cornerback, tight end and quarterback.

Everything on offense and defense but a tackle.

“I believe Marvel Smith was the highest we had taken back in 2000,” Colbert correctly surmised last week at the NFL Combine.

In Colbert’s first draft with the Steelers, he selected Smith in the second round with the No. 38 overall pick. Since then, the Steelers have ventured into second-round territory on a tackle just twice: Marcus Gilbert in 2011 and Mike Adams in 2012.

The last time the Steelers used a first-round pick on a tackle was in 1996 when Colbert was employed by the Detroit Lions. That year, the Steelers used their top pick on Jamaine Stephens out of North Carolina A&T.

Perhaps haunted by reminders of the Stephens pick, the Steelers avoided taking a tackle in the first round in the ensuing 25 years.

Colbert is intrigued by the thought of ending that streak this year.

“There’s good quality at that position in this year’s draft, for sure,” he said. “As of recent years, the tackle position has had unusual depth. This year is no different.”

Colbert said the Steelers never intentionally shied away from drafting a tackle in the first round. It just worked out that way.

“We never go in saying we’re taking a specific position or not taking a specific position,” he said. “We just try to take the best players.”

The Steelers began making over their aging offensive line last year when they selected tackle Dan Moore in the fourth round, following the selection of center Kendrick Green in the third. Moore became a starter as a rookie because of Zach Banner’s lingering knee issues.

Banner has one year left on his contract and could be a salary-cap casualty. Chuks Okorafor, who started at right tackle last season, is an unrestricted free agent, making the tackle position a necessity either in free agency or the draft.

“In some recent years, they’ve thrown some draft picks at it,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “I just don’t love everything they have, so I would continue to go back down that road and see if you can’t continue to add to that offensive line.”

With the No. 20 overall pick, the Steelers obviously won’t have the pick of the litter, but they will have options at the position. Alabama’s Evan Neal could be the first overall pick, to Jacksonville, and N.C. State’s Ikem Ekwonu could be among the top five players off the board.

It’s also possible Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross could be gone by the time the Steelers make their pick. Other potential first-rounders are Bernard Raimann of Central Michigan and Tyler Smith of Tulsa, but they are viewed as late first-round prospects.

“If you look at this draft class, you are going to have, in my opinion, some really outstanding offensive linemen, for sure,” Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “Teams picking in top 15, I think, have a chance to get themselves a really good offensive lineman.”

The Steelers could take tackle out of the equation in the first round if they address the position in free agency. They added swing tackle Joe Haeg as a depth piece last year, but armed with at least $29 million in salary-cap spending, the Steelers can afford to step up and bid on a starter when free agency commences in 10 days.

As recent history has shown, the Steelers also have found value in later rounds of the draft and in undrafted free agents. Alejandro Villanueva developed into a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Matt Feiler became a starter before leaving via free agency.

The safer route — one the Steelers have preferred in the last quarter century — is to wait until later in the draft to add a tackle. They have seven picks this year and are expected to pick up at least one more in a compensatory round.

“You’re going to be able to find tackles pretty much throughout this draft,” Jeremiah said.