Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert was rumored to have suggested before the 2020 NFL Draft that there should be three more rounds added because of all the uncertainty with the pre-draft process. Colbert was asked on the #PFTPM podcast if those rumors were true. Colbert confirmed they were, explaining his reasoning behind it.
Colbert said he wanted to have a bit of a safety net because of all the uncertainty. Moreover, with three extra rounds, there would be players who might not be looked at because they didn't have a pro day who would get a shot on an NFL team.
“And the reasoning was, part of it was selfish,” Colbert said. “You wanted to have a safety net because we’re dealing with less information, and the more picks you have, maybe you’ll have a little bit of a safety net again. The other thing was it would give the marginal player that didn’t get his opportunity to go to a Pro Day and to perform. Maybe there will be more players drafted and then those players will then again have the chance they might not get.”
There were still players who signed as undrafted free agents, but there was no rookie minicamp so those slingshots from smaller schools never got eyes on them. Colbert pointed out that they found Devlin Hodges in 2019 in rookie minicamp.
“Every year a team might stumble upon a tryout player,” the Steelers GM said. “Maybe if we ever get on the field, we can think of a way to help those because there’s a big group of players that aren’t getting opportunities because of the situation.”
Colbert's idea for three extra rounds was shot down quickly, but maybe in the end that was the way the 2020 draft should have been handled.
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