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Dunlap: Kevin Colbert Deserves Some Praise

Oh, people have hammered Kevin Colbert.

And rightly so.

What's Dri Archer up to these days?

How is Mike Adams' football career coming along after his sandwich incident on the South Side?

Alameda Ta'amu hit more parked cars in his career than opposing players.

Chris Rainey was just nothing but trouble.

Shamarko Thomas? Yeah, he still isn't any good.

Then, there are guys like Ziggy Hood and Jarvis Jones --- they dress the part and look good coming off the bus or going through pregame drills, but man they just can't play a lick, especially considering their lofty draft slots.

There was that whole "taking Jason Worilds when Sean Lee was available" thing Pittsburghers cling to. Yeah, that was a swing and miss. A big one.

Colbert has been vilified, condemned and criticized for his selections of the aforementioned men.

But as the Pittsburgh Steelers surge into a weekend meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, don't you owe it to yourself to take a bit of an overview of all that's going on?

In short, young guys thrown directly into the fire --- especially on defense --- are playing integral and vital roles while some down-the-liners have risen to reliable components on offense. Sure, there is coaching in all of that. For me, however, that's about scouting, drafting and acquisition trust --- it's about the job that Kevin Colbert has done.

Really, when you flick on your television on Sunday in the afternoon, think of all this …

From the most recent draft class, the top three picks (Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave) aren't just on the active roster, they are mainstays and crucial components. Also from this most recent class, Demarcus Ayers --- drafted in the seventh round from Houston --- appears to be a wide receiver quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has zero problem throwing to in crunch time. I haven't done a study of teams left in the playoffs, but I find it hard to believe many rookie receivers drafted in the seventh round are getting offensive snaps.

That's a credit to Ayers' hard work. It's also a credit to Colbert and his staff's eye for talent.

In addition, reserve linebacker Tyler Matakevich is a point of strength on coverage units after also being selected in the seventh round.

From the 2015 draft class, Colbert has also done well. No one needs to explain the merits of Bud Dupree. But there is also fifth rounder Jesse James, who has exceeded expectations.

James' dependability is particularly important because of Ladarius Green's inability to stay healthy.

Also from the later rounds of the 2015 class, LT Walton and Anthony Chickillo have provided depth in the front seven of the defense, a unit hit with the injury crunch at times this season.

Colbert, again, needs to be applauded for what he saw in these guys.

Same thing with receivers Eli Rogers, who was an undrafted free agent and Cobi Hamilton, a guy who has bounced around practice squads in the league but seemingly found a bit of a home with the Steelers.

Think about this: If I had told you back at St. Vincent that Eli Rogers and Cobi Hamilton would be two of Roethlisberger's top weapons in mid-January, you would have thought I was certifiably nuts.

The reality is, that's true. That's the case --- and Colbert needs to be praised for spotting those talents that he thought could translate to in-game threats.

So, when you watch the Steelers on Sunday against the Chiefs, be fair. It feels like the fanbase has crushed Kevin Colbert for his misses in the recent past --- and rightly so.

When you look out on that field and think about how this team was constructed, it's high time to congratulate Colbert.

Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.

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