PITTSBURGH — As Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin have traveled the country attending the workouts of each of the top five quarterbacks in the draft, their presence as conspicuous as a Hollywood starlet, the fascination the Steelers will draft one of those prospects with their first-round pick continues to grow like grass after a spring rainstorm.
Adding to the frenzy that has enveloped the national media, not to mention the Steelers fan base that is treating the available quarterbacks as though they are Dan Marino and Peyton Manning, are the public declarations from both Colbert and Tomlin that the Steelers have not ruled out the possibility of drafting a quarterback despite signing Mitch Trubiksy to challenge Mason Rudolph.
Tomlin even went so far at the NFL owners meetings last week in Palm Beach, Fla., to surprisingly offer an evaluation of Malik Willis, saying the Liberty quarterback is "really impressive, sharp, grounded, comfortable in his skin." History has shown the Steelers comment on a draft prospect about as often as a total eclipse. Colbert, in fact, might be more inclined to set his eyebrows on fire than offer an evaluation of a prospect before the draft.
All of this begs the question: Are the Steelers really that interested in drafting a quarterback from a class that, to use an old Tomlin expression, is as ordinary as grits? Or are they just doing their due diligence and letting other teams think they want a quarterback merely to keep their competitors from dipping into the pool of players that might really interest the Steelers?
Typically, teams who have the 20th overall pick in the draft, such as the Steelers, aren't the ones delivering smoke screens. That is usually the practice of teams with the top two or three picks in the draft. But Colbert and Tomlin are competitive in everything they do, and playing mind games or sending smoke signals to other coaches and general managers is not out of the realm of possibility.
Consider this: Did their public dalliance with the possibility of drafting a quarterback influence the New Orleans Saints, who are in the market for a new quarterback, to make a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to move a spot ahead of the Steelers at No. 19?
Who knows if it did, but, if it did, that would mean there is one fewer team to draft the player the Steelers really want.
For as long as anyone can remember, the Steelers have never tipped their hand before the draft what position they intend to target with the No. 1 pick in the draft. In fact, they never so much as talk about a particular position as much as they have acknowledged a quarterback is in play in the first round.
Their behavior has been so uncharacteristic, so counter to the way they traditionally guard their thoughts like a family secret, it is difficult to imagine they would be so open if they seriously considered using their top pick on a quarterback.
It's possible, of course. But, considering the weak crop and the other needs they have, especially on defense, drafting a quarterback would be a waste of the 20th overall pick.
Maybe they already know that.
Eagles' Weidl could be a fit at GM
The only bigger mystery than which player the Steelers will take with their first choice is which of the 16 candidates they have interviewed for general manager will replace Colbert.
The Steelers will pare that list, likely in half, and begin second interviews after the draft.
Team president Art Rooney II said the most important requirement for the new GM will be the ability to evaluate talent and put together a draft. And he has already interviewed four former NFL GMs who have done just that.
But, if Rooney is looking for a Colbert-like replacement — a Western Pennsylvania native who has roots in the Steelers system — then one of the leading candidates for the position could be Andy Weidl, a Mt. Lebanon, Pa., native who has been vice president of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles the past three years.
Weidl, 47, began his career as a Steelers personnel assistant under Bill Nunn and Tom Donahoe and has put together the Eagles draft the past two seasons.
Colbert, 65, is stepping down when his contract expires after the draft. But he is expected to stay on in a reduced capacity through the end of the season.
