Steelers in for a wait Saturday

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kevin Colbert is patient while negotiating contracts. He doesn’t rush to judgment when assessing college players. He’ll gladly wait two or three years for a player to develop, as long as that player finally realizes his talent.

Being patient in the NFL draft? That’s difficult for the Steelers’ director of football operations.

Winning the Super Bowl means the Steelers won’t draft until the 32nd and last pick in the first round Saturday, unless they trade up or down. It’s a long, long wait for a team that consistently relies on the draft to build most of its roster, especially during a year when the Steelers acknowledge they must draft well.

“We need it to be a special draft because we lost a couple of guys in free agency from a good team,” Colbert said.

With salary cap restrictions preventing them from actively seeking another cornerback, wide receiver, defensive lineman and offensive lineman on the open market, the Steelers can’t miss on many picks in the early rounds, especially when they’re drafting so late. They also got a late start in draft preparation because they were still playing a month after more than half the NFL’s teams finished their seasons.

While this draft isn’t overloaded at the top with talent, Colbert believes there is enough depth that a team that chooses well can reasonably expect to add starters during the first three rounds, especially at cornerback and outside linebacker.

The Steelers’ goal, of course, is to be one of those teams that makes the right selections. And, most years, the Steelers know what they’re doing on draft day.

They’ve won two Super Bowls in the last four seasons thanks to a lineup filled with Pittsburgh draft picks such as Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith and one-time rookie free agents Willie Parker and James Harrison.

This draft is especially challenging, however, because their first pick — unless there’s a trade — will be only one pick away from being a second-rounder.

“The frustrating thing is just waiting that long,” Colbert said. “It may get to the point where we don’t want to wait and we want to trade up. We will look at all those scenarios.”