Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 NFL Draft Grades

Final Grade: B-

Overall, Colbert did about as well of a job drafting in the 2020 NFL Draft as any general manager in his predicament could have. With just six picks and little room to maneuver in free agency due to cap restrictions, Colbert was able to add what depth he could and take a chance on developmental players in this year’s draft. There is a lot to like about this year’s draft haul for Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

The Good:

Claypool will add another target for Roethlisberger and can play two positions with great success. With JuJu slated to be the vertical threat again in 2020, Claypool can help break off double teams with his solid size and catching, while also serving as a solid short and intermediate target.

Highsmith won’t be much help in 2020, but he is a solid depth piece and could develop into a starter for next season. McFarland will see time playing in 2020 as a change of pace running back, but could become a solid receiving option, with time and more training. At the very least, it allows the Pittsburgh Steelers offense to have options at the running back position in 2021, should Conner leave in next year’s offseason.

With five of the Pittsburgh Steelers six draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft coming after the top 100, it is questionable they were going to find any game-changing players this year. They mortgaged a lot of their draft picks in 2020 for success in the past and the bill came due this year. But Colbert did the best thing you can do in that situation, which is draft developmental players who have potential and build off that.

If one of them can develop into a starter in the future, it was worth taking them. In the soon to be not-too-distant future, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be saying goodbye to several veterans who have made up this roster over the last ten years. They will have several key-roster spots that need replacing in the next five years. Positions that will require premier draft picks in the future. If they can save themselves replacing a few positions through development, it will save them draft capital in the future.

There are no guaranteed starters in this group, with perhaps Claypool being the exception. But with one of the best defenses in the NFL, a veteran quarterback and a solid offensive line coming back in 2020, guaranteed starters weren’t exactly necessary.

The Bad:

Colbert has insisted over the last few seasons to stay on as general manager on one-year contracts. While it would appear to be counter-intuitive to demand job insecurity like this every season, it makes a lot of sense when you evaluate this contract stipulation compared to the roster makeup. What appears isn’t too encouraging for the future.

Several veterans on this roster at key positions will likely be leaving in the next five years. Roethlisberger is likely done after 2021, if not sooner. Key leaders on both sides of the ball will either be approaching free-agency or retirement soon. Players who will need to be replaced in the next few seasons.

Colbert appears to be betting that the next two seasons is their Super Bowl window. He has put the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers on the shoulders of a 38-year old quarterback coming off a serious elbow injury. Behind Big Ben are two decent backup quarterbacks who aren’t talented enough on their own to be starters. Colbert would appear to believe this is their time to go for a championship, regardless of what may come past 2021.

But is that wise? Look at the stat below. While on its surface it appears to be a good thing, the fact that Roethlisberger was kept that clean in a season they did not go to the playoffs is concerning. He enters the 2020 season two years older and with a far weaker offensive line than he did in 2018.

The 2020 NFL Draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers was about drafting players who do one or two things exceptionally well, who could someday develop into legitimate starters. But it is unclear if those draft picks could have been used better. Would it have been smarter to package their sixth and seventh-rounder to get a mid-round pick? Or perhaps their two mid-round picks for a third-rounder?

A lot of talented players slipped in the 2020 NFL Draft. Many players who were expected to be drafted in a certain round fell inexplicably this year, clearing the way for Colbert to move up. But he chose to stay put and invest in high-upside players who need development. Outside of Claypool, it is questionable if any of the players drafted this year will be backups, let alone starters in 2020.

One or two of these developmental players may become roster-material by 2021. But it is also just as likely none of them do and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be left with multiple roster holes in the upcoming years.

Overall, Colbert did the smartest thing he could, which was to draft as many players as he could. A player’s success isn’t preordained by where they are drafted. The late-rounders Colbert selected in the 2020 NFL Draft are all solid, there are no deal-breakers. But with the number of quality players who fell in the draft this year, it is questionable if Colbert got the best value he could.