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Did Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert gamble and lose in draft?

USA TODAY Sports

Something we should have put on the front page a while ago. Nice work by JP4Pitt - nc

Did the Steelers think they would lose Shamarko Thomas to the Raiders, Rams, or Cowboys if they waited to pick him with their scheduled fourth round pick? Or did they trade up because they saw two available talents that warranted the trade?

If so, was Landry Jones was the 2nd of those talents? In their first four picks, the Steelers submitted their picks as soon as they were on the clock. Oddly--especially if they just traded a 3rd round pick in 2014 to grab both Thomas and Landry Jones--they dithered before submitting Landry Jones as their 2nd [fourth round] pick. (Btw, I WISH they would have taken Khaseem Greene! Just sayin'...)

Between the Steelers' first and second fourth round picks, the Raiders took QB Tyler Wilson, the Rams took Barrett Jones, and the Cowboys grabbed CB B.W. Webb. The latter two were highly regarded for positions of need. I suggest the Steelers were hoping for one of these, gambled, and lost. Perhaps they thought that of the four (S. Thomas, Barrett Jones, BW Webb, and possibly T Wilson), that Thomas stood the least likelihood of being available for their second 4th round pick.

Since they chose a CB in round five, it's possible they had their eye on Webb. Barrett Jones, however, would have been a huge steal in round four and a great addition to our offensive line. Without a doubt, his addition would have made our draft look a whole lot better. It's hard to blame Colbert for guessing wrong re who to choose first in his first 4th round pick. As others have said, hindsight is 20/20. On the other hand, I sure wish he'd made a stronger selection with his second pick after missing his #1 target (if that's indeed what happened)

If the Steelers hoped to land Barrett Jones, BW Webb, or Tyler Wilson with their 2nd fourth round pick, whom of the three do you think they wanted?

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