The Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL as a whole wrapped up the 2022 NFL Draft on Saturday as rounds 4-7 were completed. For the first time in 53 years, the Steelers selected two quarterbacks in the same draft. They also selected two wide receivers in the same draft for the first time since 2013.
Steelers Complete 2022 Draft Class
| ROUND/PICK | NAME | POS | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/20 | Kenny Pickett | QB | Pittsburgh |
| 2/52 | George Pickens | WR | Georgia |
| 3/84 | DeMarvin Leal | DE | Texas A&M |
| 4/138 | Calvin Austin III | WR | Memphis |
| 6/208 | Connor Heyward | FB | Michigan State |
| 7/225 | Mark Robinson | ILB | Ole Miss |
| 7/241 | Chris Oladokun | QB | South Dakota State |
The only hole that really stood out for the Steelers was wide receiver heading into the draft. There are receivers available still in the free agent market. But names like Odell Beckham Jr., and Jarvis Landry didn't appear to be viable options for Pittsburgh. So, the Steelers did something that usually do well, draft receivers.
With Terrell Edmunds signing a few days prior to the draft, the need for a safety dropped down to the same level of priority as other positions. That allowed the team to select the best player available. Though, judging by the signing of Damontae Kazee immediately following the draft, they may have wanted to add to that position, but none of their targets were available.
ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released his draft grades last night for every team in the NFL. This is what he had to say about the Steelers selections:
GRADE: BTop needs: QB, OL, WR
Quarterback or no quarterback? That was the crucial question for the Steelers in this draft. Ben Roethlisberger had held down the position in Pittsburgh since 2004, so coach Mike Tomlin hadn't worried about it since he took over the job in 2007. In the end -- after Tomlin had a busy spring tour of seeing many of the signal-callers' pro days -- the board fell perfectly for the Steelers to get their guy and not have to trade up.
Note the italics above. I liked Malik Willis a little bit more than Kenny Pickett, but I can't fault the Steelers for going with the local quarterback. My comp for Pickett? Some Derek Carr, some Andy Dalton. Teams can win with that. I don't know that he'll definitely beat out Mitch Trubisky in Year 1, and he doesn't have the ceiling of Willis. But the important part is that the front office didn't have to move up to get him, so this is solid value in a strange draft when Pickett was the only signal-caller selected in the first two rounds.
Wide receivers George Pickens (52) and Calvin Austin III (138) are nice replacements for JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington. Pickens is more of the Washington role -- he'll catch some fades down the sideline -- while the diminutive dynamo Austin will line up mostly out of the slot and rack up yards after the catch. Defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal (84) looked like a future first-rounder at times in 2020, but he struggled for consistency last season. He has some versatility along the Pittsburgh front. Connor Heyward (208) is my top-ranked fullback in the class, and he'll join his brother, Cam, in the black and gold.
This was the final draft for general manager Kevin Colbert, and he did a nice job plugging holes. If Pickett becomes a star, Colbert might have set up the Steelers for the next 15 years with this group.
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert gets emotional during his final press conference as Steelers GM
It seems Kiper believes what most Steelers fans do. The draft obviously hinges on whether or not Pickett can help lead the Steelers deep into the playoffs. If he can't, it will be considered a failure in a few years. An interesting note is that Kiper considered Connor Heyward to be his best full back available. After the draft, Kiper said he considered Heyward to be a fourth round pick, which was much higher than most had him ranked. I guess betting against a Heyward isn't a smart thing to do.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns both received B grades according to Kiper. The Baltimore Ravens were given an A. The Ravens draft was widely considered the best in the draft as they were able to select multiple potential starts in the first two rounds.
Do you agree with Kiper on his assessment of the Steelers' draft? How do you think the team did overall? Click to comment below!
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