When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is no secret that head coach Mike Tomlin has a significant amount of power, especially when it comes to the NFL draft. Across the league, there is a varying level of power shared between the head coach and the General Manager when it comes to player selection. Former Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler talked about the Steelers’ draft process and made it clear that when it comes to the Steelers, Tomlin had plenty of say in the picks.
It stops with the GM.” Butler said. “But, the Steelers anyway, the head coach got a big say and the head coach usually if he knows his assistants, he usually has a good idea about what they think too.”
There’s a clear difference between knowing what your assistants want in a player and caring about what they want when it comes to making the pick. When Butler coached for the Steelers, Kevin Colbert was the general manager and there were always rumors about who had final say in particular picks. The big one that comes to mind is quarterback Kenny Pickett. That one was a real head-scratcher and given how his career has turned, no one should want to take blame for that one.
Butler was the Steelers’ defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2021. Butler’s defensive unit in 2020 was one of the most dominant in the NFL that season.