For the first time in, well, forever, the Pittsburgh Steelers were active players in free agency. Pittsburgh went out and spent big money on cornerback Steven Nelson, wide receiver Donte Moncrief and linebacker Mark Barron. All three hit on a key offseason position of need.
But according to general manager Kevin Colbert, none of those signings preclude Pittsburgh from drafting any of those positions in the upcoming draft.
This is a curious philosophy. The additions of Nelson and Barron essentially bring in starters to the roster and round out their respective depth chart. A top pick on either cornerback or linebacker would have a hard time finding their way to the field as a rookie.
I fully understand you draft for the future as well as the present, and so the addition of a top rookie linebacker or cornerback could reap huge rewards down the line. But with a shrinking window to win while Ben Roethlisberger is still playing at a high level, shouldn’t this matter?
