Steelers GM on QBs: 'There's good quality available' in draft

Kevin Colbert will be stepping down from his role as general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers later this year but not before he helps the club name his successor and possibly find the replacement for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who retired following the 2021 NFL season. 

Colbert, who will remain in his current position through this year's draft, said Monday that career backup Mason Rudolph would be Pittsburgh's QB1 over 2019 first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins if the season started today, but that likely won't stop people from linking the Steelers with signal-callers in mock drafts. For a piece published Friday, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports predicted the Steelers will trade up to select Ole Miss Rebels product Matt Corral, while ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. wrote on Jan. 19 the Steelers will get Corral at pick No. 20. 

"As far as this draft class of quarterbacks, there's good quality available, probably not as many as there have been in recent years," Colbert said on Monday, according to Bob Labriola of the Steelers' website. "But it is what it is, and we had a great look at a lot of the top quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl. That was a great experience to see them back to back on a given day. We saw them all, and it was very good work, so we're excited about that whole part of this process." 

The Steelers have been mentioned in rumors as potential suitors for San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, who is on the market because that club is reportedly ready to name 2021 rookie Trey Lance its new starter. 

"So we have Dwayne and we have Mason. Can we add to that group from the outside? Sure," Colbert added during his comments. "We'll always look at trades, we'll always look at unrestricted groups, at potential cuts down the road and make those comparisons and compare what it's going to cost us, either from a draft compensation standpoint or from a free agency, salary cap availability decision and what that will do to the rest of your team."

While Colbert gave Rudolph a public vote of confidence, it's clear the 26-year-old is only penciled in atop the depth chart ahead of the start of the new league year in March.