Apr 27, 2003 By Mike Ciarochi Commentary 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Kevin Colbert proved Saturday that he is the mover and shaker Steelers coach Bill Cowher kept telling us he was. Colbert, the Steelers director of football operations, made Steelers history by trading up in the first round of the NFL draft, a move that facilitated the Steelers selection of USC safety Troy Polamalu.

It was the first time Pittsburgh traded up in the first round since at least the 1960s and it couldn’t have happened at a better time, according to Cowher.

“When we came in here this morning, it didn’t look real good about our chances to get him,” Cowher said of the Steelers prospects of trading up. “We talked about moving up and where the cutoff was, what we would be willing to give up. And it just worked out.”

In fact, it couldn’t have worked any better for the Steelers, even though they had to part with two picks, including a third-rounder. Philadelphia moved up 15 spots from 30th to 15th, but had to part with a second-round pick to do so. Colbert managed to move up 11 spots, from 27th to 16th, and keep Pittsburgh’s second-round pick.

Some of the credit for this bold move goes to the rest of the league. It was a wacky first-round, which included Minnesota’s second botched pick in as many years, with teams behind them quickly shuffling picks in ahead of the Vikings. There was the Jets move up to No. 4 that cost them two first-rounders to Chicago. There was New Orleans’ move up to sixth that also cost a pair of first-rounders and Baltimore gave up next year’s first-rounder for New England’s 19th overall pick and the rights to Cal quarterback Kyle Boller.

“When you go in at 27, as crazy as this draft is right now, we had a couple of guys we could have felt comfortable sitting there waiting on,” Cowher said. “But it just seemed like people were moving in and out, coming from everywhere, we figured if there’s a player that you know you can get … .”

Go get him is what Colbert managed to do. It was a move the Steelers organization had been reluctant to make before Colbert arrived on the scene four years ago. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the team’s drafts have improved dramatically since he arrived.

In Tom Donahoe’s last draft here, he settled for Troy Edwards as the 17th pick, instead of moving up to get David Boston or Torry Holt. The Steelers followed that up with Scott Shields in the second round, Joey Porter in the third and Kris Farris later in the third. Porter, of course, was a great pick, but the other three were disastrous busts.

Colbert could have sat there and waited for another player to fall to him at 27. As it turns out, the Chiefs selected Penn State running back Larry Johnson, a player Cowher liked, at 27.

But there is a profound differene between like and love. Cowher liked Johnson, but he loved Polamalu and Colbert was able to get the two together.

“As in everything, you go through it, you start calling,” Colbert said. “You know where realistically you’re probably going to have to start. When the player’s there that you want, what’s the difference if you get him at 16, 17 or 18? You go get him.”

There is another ingredient necessary for such a move. You need a trigger man who isn’t afraid to pull the trigger.

Colbert was the main reason this deal was made. Good or bad, it will become a marking point for his career with the Steelers.

Sports editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com