By G.Stryker
SteelerNation.com
This draft is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable and chaotic drafts of our lifetime. Announcers will not sit at the same table, potential draft picks will not be invited to a draft party, camera crews won’t be in players’ homes, and the war room members for teams can’t even be in the same room! Teams will have to teleconference to make picks, and relay those picks to the league, either by text, phone, or computer. You know which team is as cool as a cucumber with all of this uncertainty? The team that’s been there, done that, and knows how to do this even without technology. That’s right, your Pittsburgh Steelers.
Consistency: We hear it all the time about the coaching staff; three coaches since 1969, but there is another job within the Steelers organization that has been just as consistent, and that is the Director of Football Operations/General Manager. The Steelers have had just four since 1969. The first was Dan Rooney from 1969-1971, Dick Haley (1971-1990), Tom Donahoe (1991-1999), and Kevin Colbert starting in 2000-present. The Steelers have had such consistency for such a long period of time that it took until 2011 to officially call the position General Manager, instead of Director of Football Operations. When you take into account the coaching hires, 1969 is the last time the Steelers had to hire a Coach and "GM" in the same year. 51 years of drafting consistency and overlap.
This is why the Steelers are so good at scouting, drafting, and finding talent to fit their needs. They haven’t had to change drafting philosophy along with a coaching philosophy in seven decades. The Steelers are one of the teams along with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles to form LESTO in 1963, only to become BLESTO the following year when the Chicago Bears joined. These were the NFL’s first scouting organizations. Since its inception, BLESTO has maintained an office in Pittsburgh, furthering their scouting consistency. A lot of teams new to drafting will have trouble assessing talent after the 3rd round. This year, the Steelers will have the advantage of their scouting process to properly assess the talent deeper in this draft. With the unpredictability of this year’s talent assessment, the Steelers' consistency may still have them drafting 3rd or 4th round talent, according to their draft board in the 6th and 7th rounds, while other teams are making quick decisions with incomplete information. The dramatized war room arguments over players will be replaced by sticking to the big board, and going with the best player available. The Steelers have assessed their talent and know how to keep it simple.
Another advantage in this draft is the Steelers don’t have to rush anything. They aren’t scheduled to make a pick until #49, which allows them a lot of time to watch, wait, and decide their next move. They will get to take their time to see how the draft plays out. They will get to understand how their equipment works and how to properly execute their pick, which will likely be the day after the draft starts. They will have all of the bugs worked out of the system, and will simply have to make their move when they are on the clock. Consistency will ensure that whatever choice they decide to make, it will be the best one for their team.
Any other reasons why the Steelers should have a good draft this year? Let us know below in the comments section.
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