The NFL Draft always brings about change. For the Steelers, replacing Big Ben will be no small feat, not to mention, that isn’t the only need the team has. Hopefully, with the Steelers draft of Kenny Pickett, things should get interesting.
With the tragic passing of Dwayne Haskins, the team is left with a weak quarterback room. Rudolph isn’t likely to be a franchise quarterback. Trubisky was a nice acquisition, but there are so many questions about his abilities after a tumultuous tenure in Chicago.
Trubisky was voted to the Pro Bowl in Chicago and even led the team to a division title. The problem is the Chicago Bears are a perennially bad team. Trubisky played without many weapons and didn’t have much of an O line.
All of that said, when he became a free agent, Trubisky wasn’t seen as a starter and landed as a backup in Buffalo, where he didn’t see the field much. The reality is, no one really knows what Trubisky will look like next year with a team that has solid weapons and strong lines as his supporting cast.
Steelers Draft Kenny Pickett in the 1st Round
On the first night of the draft, the Steelers had the 20th overall pick. No quarterbacks had been taken and there had been a rush on defensive players. Many people were wondering if the Steelers were going to run with Trubisky or possibly draft a quarterback.
With the 20th pick, they took Kenny Pickett. Pickett was on the top of everyone’s draft board as far as quarterbacks go this year. Born in New Jersey, he played his college ball at Pitt. The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner is a prolific passer having thrown for over 4,500 yards and 43 touchdowns in his college career.
While he’s not considered a legitimate dual-threat quarterback, he can get the job done when he needs to having carried the ball for 873 yards and 17 touchdowns in college. The Steeler’s offense hasn’t called for the quarterback to run much in the last few years, so this shouldn’t be seen as a problem for Pickett.
Who Will Be the Steelers Starting Quarterback?
According to coach Tomlin, there will be an open competition for the quarterback position during training camp. While it is sure to be interesting, no team drafts a quarterback in the first round without the intention of starting him the next season or at least in the near future.
Tomlin was legitimately excited to call Pickett, and Pickett is clearly glad to be in Pittsburgh. While there may be a quarterback competition, odds are Pickett will win it. Even if he doesn’t and Trubisky starts the first few games, you can expect Tomlin to start Pickett as soon as he is ready.
Unless he fails in epic fashion, which isn’t likely, Steelers draft pick Kenny Pickett is the future starting quarterback for the Steelers.
Steelers Draft 2022
The Steelers used their first second round draft pick to take George Pickens. Pickens comes from a Georgia Bulldogs program that just captured their first National Championship. A five-star recruit coming out of high school, he saw playing time as a freshman at Georgia and was a major part of the program’s rise to the top and championship win.
The Steelers also drafted DeMarvin Leal. Leal is a defensive end out of Texas A&M University. He was coached by Jimbo Fisher who has put many players in the league and dramatically improved Texas A&M’s reputation and standing in the SEC. You can expect big things from this kid.
Additionally, they drafted Calvin Austin III, a wide receiver out of Memphis who ran a 4.32 second 40-yard dash at the combine, TE Connor Heyward who is Cam Heyward’s little brother (giving the team four sets of brothers on the roster), Mark Robinson a linebacker from Ole Miss and project quarterback Chris Oladokun who finished college at South Dakota State.
One thing is for certain, all of the newly drafted players seem to be on the same page. Every one of them yelled “Let’s go!” within moments of being drafted. Things are looking up for Steeler Nation! We look forward to celebrating the season with you and a perfectly poured Guinness at Hibernia Bar!