The Pittsburgh Steelers have transitioned into their new era of young talent in the Steel City. They have some very promising young athletes scattered throughout the roster, but there's still a lot of questions left unanswered at the moment. Is quarterback Kenny Pickett the future of the franchise? That's the biggest question and the biggest reason why many are doubting the Steelers young core.
Pickett had a slow start in Latrobe at training camp, but has picked up the pace on his play as the Steelers prepare to enter their third week at camp on Monday afternoon.
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In an article recently published by ESPN, writer Aaron Schatz ranked NFL teams based on their young core talent, meaning players under the age of 25. The Steelers were placed at 17th on his list.
"The Steelers have had some notable blue-chip hits on prospects in recent seasons," Schatz stated in the article. "[Minkah] Fitzpatrick earned First Team All-Pro honors in his first two Steelers seasons after his trade from the [Miami] Dolphins. And [Najee] Harris broke 87 tackles in his rookie season, 21 more than even Jonathan Taylor in second place at the position. But Fitzpatrick and Harris play non-premium positions, and the former aged out of the under-25 rankings last November. That leaves the Steelers in the bottom half of teams in this year's rankings."
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"To make a major move, the Steelers need only to hit on their first-round rookie quarterback," Schatz stated. "As the 20th overall draft selection, Pickett does not feel like the same transformative prospect that other recent Day 1 quarterbacks did. But neither did Mac Jones as last year's 15th pick, and he led all rookie passers with a 6.1% DVOA [Defense-adjusted Value Over Average] and made the Pro Bowl. Quarterbacks are too difficult to scout to put a ceiling on Pickett's potential."
If the Steelers rookie QB is in fact the franchise quarterback that everyone that supports the Steelers hopes he is, their young core has all the potential in the world!
"Before he retired in May, longtime Steelers GM Kevin Colbert surrounded Pickett with plenty of young talent to help him succeed," Schatz continued in his article. "Wide receiver Chase Claypool dealt with ankle, hamstring and foot injuries in his sophomore season, but still came within three catches and 13 yards of his exciting rookie campaign.Second and fourth-round rookie receivers, George Pickens and Calvin Austin offer two chances for Colbert's impeccable receiver draft track record to continue and provide insurance in case the team lets Diontae Johnson leave in free agency. And at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, tight end Pat Freiermuth evokes Steelers legend, Heath Miller. Freiermuth scored a touchdown on six of his 11 targets inside the five-yard line, good for a 54.5% rate that was third best among tight ends with 10 or more such targets."
This article must have been written prior to Johnson's extension being signed, keeping him in Pittsburgh for the next three seasons. However, Schatz makes a solid point by mentioning Pickens and Austin III, both receivers who have been flashing their incredible talents since arriving in Latrobe!
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"Pickett's bigger questions will be on the offensive line, which finished with a second-worst 49% pass block win rate in 2021," Schatz pointed out in the ESPN article. "But hopefully second-year left tackle Dan Moore and left guard Kendrick Green can help. They had encouraging 3.6% and 2.5% blown block rates in their rookie seasons.Meanwhile, the Steelers also added former [Chicago] Bears lineman, James Daniels, who just beats the under-25 cutoff with a birthday two days after his new team's Week 1 game against the [Cincinnati] Bengals. Daniels has blown less than 3.0% of his blocks in all four of his professional seasons, although his $26.5 million second contract limits the value the team can get from similar future production."
If the Steelers found their next franchise quarterback in Pickett, with major talent surrounding him, the team's young core has the potential to surprise a lot of people and prove doubters such as Schatz wrong!
What are yinz thoughts on the Steelers young core being ranked as a middle of the pack group in the NFL? Let us know in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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