Steelers' Kevin Colbert Detailed Why He Was Furious With Scouts Who Bragged About Signing UDFAs Like James Harrison And Willie Parker

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a knack for recognizing talent for decades. They are one of the most consistent organizations when it comes to drafting and developing talent, which has led to the franchise being tied for the league-high with six Super Bowl victories. One of the biggest reasons for the two championships in the 21st century was former General Manager Kevin Colbert. He led the front office for 22 years before walking away and passing the reins to Omar Khan. One would expect him to have hundreds of stories from over the years and he recently joined the North Catholic Athletics Podcast to discuss his time in the Steel City.

There are dozens of star players to name that ended up playing for the Steelers because Colbert decided to take them in the NFL Draft. Additionally, the organization has a few undrafted free agents that had monumental impacts in the pursuit of two Lombardi Trophies in the early 2000s. The former general manager isn't looking for any credit, though. He looked at it in the complete opposite way, and was flustered when scouts bragged about helping bring in legends James Harrison and Willie Parker.

"We have two great examples of free agent players that turned into significant players for the Pittsburgh Steelers in James Harrison and Willie Parker... Willie the longest run in Super Bowl history and James Harrison probably the greatest play in Super Bowl history, and both were free agents," Colbert said. "I used to always tell the scouts, 'Hey don't brag if a free agent makes it. If they were that good, we should have drafted them.'"

It's a cool perspective to get from the man who helped orchestrate several phenomenal rosters during his tenure in Pittsburgh. He looked at successful undrafted free agents as a learning lesson for the pre-draft process. Harrison and Parker were overlooked by all 32 teams, but somehow found their way to Pittsburgh and the fan base will forever be grateful for how the dominos fell.

It could essentially be looked at as a failure for a scouting department if they missed the upside of certain players in the pre-draft process. It's great that guys like Harrison and Parker turned out to be studs, but the decision to not select them displays a weakness in talent evaluation. Of course, it shows that the other 31 teams that decided to turn away from the two were negligent as well.

Most recently, it seems like the organization may have found another diamond in the rough at the running back position. Jaylen Warren signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft. Fast forward to his second season, and he was able to compile over 1,000 total yards in 2023. Pittsburgh now has a legitimate running back duo with Warren and Najee Harris.

It is much easier to give up on guys that go undrafted given the financial investment that goes into signing them. It's much more likely for a franchise to hold onto an early-round pick in the hopes that the player isn't labeled a bust. The Steelers are currently dealing with that predicament when it comes to 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett. 

Steelers' Colbert's Final Draft Looking Like Swing And A Miss

Colbert spent his final few years as Pittsburgh's general manager signing contracts on a year-by-year basis. He made the decision to walk away after the 2022 NFL Draft, and unfortunately, his legacy may be slightly affected based on the outcome, especially if Pickett doesn't turn into a franchise quarterback. George Pickens has shown flashes while Connor Heyward has brought some solid value for a sixth-round selection.

Other than that, DeMarvin Leal, Calvin Austin III and Mark Robinson haven't done much to contribute to the team's victories the last two seasons while Chris Oladokun didn't make it past training camp with the franchise. There is still time for Colbert's last draft to be considered a successful one, but year three for all of the players, Pickett more so than anyone else, will be the determining factor in how it is evaluated.

Do you like Colbert's approach to not brag about successful undrafted free agents?