Rotoworld’s Patrick Daugherty released his annual NFL’s best GMs on Wednesday and ranked Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert No. 2 behind New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Like the Steelers for decades prior to Colbert, the Patriots don’t technically have a GM. Between Belichick and Nick Caserio (director of player personnel), they get the job done, though.
Here’s what Daugherty had to say about Colbert:
What does depth get you? An 8-8 record in a year where you had to trade the best receiver in football and your quarterback played six quarters. Kevin Colbert has been getting the big things right for his entire two-decade run as general manager. It was a little thing that tripped him up in 2019: Backup QB. The lack of a Nick Foles or Teddy Bridgewater undermined an otherwise heroic playoff pursuit. That glaring hole remains for 2020 as 38-year-old Ben Roethlisberger returns from an injury to his throwing arm. All the other pieces are in place. Arguably the league’s keenest eye for high-end defensive talent and wide receiver gems, Colbert’s loaded roster has upside to spare. It is lacking a first-round rookie after last year’s aggressive acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick, though Fitzpatrick is still only 23 years old. Colbert has a little less margin for error than usual, but he has his team well positioned for its 20th winning season in 21 years.
You can count on one hand the biggest busts the Steelers have drafted under Colbert — cornerbacks Artie Burns and Senquez Golson, linebackers Jarvis Jones and Sean Spence, offensive tackle Mike Adams — which is not too shabby considering he’s been in the role for 20 years.
The successful draft selections are too many to count (a nice problem, eh?). During Colbert’s tenure, the Steelers have won nine division titles, earned 12 playoff berths and had 15 winning seasons. Oh, and did I mention he helped assemble two Super Bowl championship teams and three AFC championship teams? That, too.
There’s no other team in the league that has been as fortunate as the Steelers have at the GM position. That’s a fact that can’t be argued.
[vertical-gallery id=471133]
[lawrence-related id=462980]