Every evaluator has the correct answers to the test in hindsight. Troy Polamalu is one of the NFL\u2019s greats, a dynamic all-around player and first-ballot Hall of Famer. Did the NFL view him as anything resembling that when he was coming out of USC for the 2003 NFL Draft? Not quite.<\/p>\n
I came across a 2022 article by Rick Gosselin<\/a> that reviewed what scouts and evaluators thought of Polamalu before the draft. It\u2019s worth resharing and reading the entire piece.<\/p>\n Opinions were mixed. Scouts loved Polamalu\u2019s hard-hitting ways but worried over his inconsistency and ability to hold up at the NFL level.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat acceleration but an inconsistent tackler,\u201d said one scout via Gosselin. \u201cTakes some bad angles. Late 1 but could go higher. Quality kid who loves the game. He warmed up against Iowa (Orange Bowl, his final college game) but then didn\u2019t play because of a knee injury. He also had some ankle issues during the season. I question his durability because he\u2019s so physically tight. Not real flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n One NFL personnel director and one general manager tabbed Polamalu as the draft\u2019s clear-cut No. 1 safety. Still, not everyone was convinced.<\/p>\n \u201cMedical concerns \u2013 and as reckless as he plays, he\u2019s going to get hurt,\u201d said another general manager.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh wasn\u2019t deterred. Although their interest in Polamalu came after a bid to sign veteran free agent Dexter Jackson fell through, Kevin Colbert made the aggressive move to trade up for Polamalu in the first round. Pittsburgh climbed from 27th to 16th in a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, giving up No. 92 and No. 200<\/a> to complete the deal.<\/p>\n After Paul Tagliabue announced the pick, Mel Kiper Jr. offered his analysis.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t far from reality. Few could\u2019ve predicted Polamalu would go on to be a generational player, but Kiper correctly noted Polamalu\u2019s A-plus instincts as the key to his success. He even mentions the struggles Devin Bush had as a pure athlete \u2014 that is, Devin Bush Sr. He was a first-round pick in 1995 and the father of 2019 Steelers\u2019 first-round pick Devin Bush Jr.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Pittsburgh trading up for Polamalu was a rarity, but newspapers noted the Steelers\u2019 clear need at safety and interest in him. The day before, the Post-Gazette focused heavily on the odds of Pittsburgh targeting and even trading up for Polamalu.<\/p>\n Colbert said he was calling teams to lay the \u201cgroundwork for possible trades,\u201d with the PPG noting that Colbert was already offering teams a third-round pick.<\/p>\n Colbert told reporters a third-round pick usually allowed teams to move up four or five spots. With their third and a sixth, the team managed to climb 11 spots on the board.<\/p>\n The paper also quoted Pete Carroll and Polamalu.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very passionate about what I do, and I like to hit,\u201d the paper quoted Polamalu. \u201cA lot of football players lose their passion as they get older, but mine is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n The move proved to be perfect. Those concerned about Polamalu\u2019s health had a point, and he missed time due to injury. Still, it was a great trade for an elite prospect in a scheme that worked for him. Dick LeBeau\u2019s return in 2004 was a big help after Polamalu endured a bumpy rookie season.<\/p>\n Omar Khan can only hope to have such success with any of his first-round picks, though his classes are looking stronger than Colbert\u2019s final few.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every evaluator has the correct answers to the test in hindsight. 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