When Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert spoke with the media on Wednesday he indicated in so many words that he would not rule out the organization drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2013 NFL.
“We won\’t close the door on any position in any round,” said Colbert. “We can\’t … Once we get into free agency and the draft, I don\’t see any position that\’s off limits.”
Now this all fine and good and I appreciate the tone that Colbert tried to set throughout his entire talk with the media, but you know as well as I do that the Steelers aren\’t going to be drafting a quarterback in the first round of the draft.
So why would Colbert not rule it out as a possibility? He is trying to send a message to the team for starters by insinuating that no job on the team is safe. At the same time Colbert is attempting to put on his draft poker face I would assume. In previous talks, especially when he meets the media at the NFL combine, Colbert has had no problems ruling out certain positions such as quarterback, tight end, punter and kicker as possible selections in the first round of the draft.
Perhaps Colbert thinks that he needs to do a better job of holding his cards to his vest based on some recent draft day phone calls that he receives from other teams over the years.
When team president Art Rooney II spoke to the media recently he said that he expects Ben Roethlisberger to be the Steelers franchise quarterback for at least the next 5-6 years. Drafting another quarterback in the first round comes with giving him a four-year deal, that based on where the Steelers will be drafting this year, will be fully guaranteed.
Do you really think that the Steelers want to give a four-year guaranteed deal to player that is likely to see very little playing time over the course of that deal?
The Steelers certainly could come out of this draft with a quarterback, but I would be very surprised if one ends up being drafted in the first three rounds. Even the fourth round is pushing it, but it is plausible.
It was a nice try by Colbert, but I don\’t think he is fooling anyone here, including other teams that might be considered day one trading partners.
