The Pittsburgh Steelers have been connected to Kenny Pickett from the beginning of the draft process. He is the quarterback that Mike Tomlin, and Kevin Colbert have been able to see up close and personal for many months now. Pickett of course went to Pitt, and Pitt shares a practice facility with the Steelers. And they play all of their home games at Heinz Field. It doesn't require much effort from Tomlin, and Colbert to go see Pickett.
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There isn't a coach in the NFL that has had a better up close and personal look at one of the quarterbacks coming out. And that's why the Steelers are apparently only sold on Pickett out of this quarterback class. Which is surprising considering the amount of time they've put into this class. Traveling from place to place for all of the Pro Days, and having most of the prospects come to Pittsburgh for a top 30 visit. Maybe all of the love for Malik Willis was actually a smoke screen, because they loved Pickett all along?
ESPN insiders Matt Miller, and Jordan Reid released a story this morning on ESPN plus with a bunch of news and notes for the NFL Draft. And in that Miller says that the only quarterback that could go in the first round for sure is Pickett. And that's only because the Steelers want him.
Where will the quarterbacks really land in Round 1?
Miller: The biggest mystery in this draft isn't where former five-star prospects Kyle Hamilton, Kayvon Thibodeaux or Derek Stingley Jr. will land. No, it's where will the quarterbacks really come off the board? For months we've speculated that some team will reach for one of them inside the top 10 due to desperation at the position. The Panthers didn't acquire Deshaun Watson after trying hard, leading many to speculate that they would draft a quarterback at No. 6 overall.
I'm not so sure. As the draft nears, the momentum that swung Kenny Pickett (Pitt) and Malik Willis (Liberty) up the board seems to be swinging back the other way. In conversations with league sources this week, one told me that Pickett to the Steelers at No. 20 is the only Round 1 quarterback on which he would bet.
That's not good news for Willis, who could realistically slide to the 20s and tempt a team such as the Lions to come back up and get him (they have the Nos 32 and 34 picks). Or, perhaps it's one last smoke-screen attempt. But the buzz surrounding Pickett, Willis, Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati) and the other passers has quieted down to a point that just one first-round quarterback wouldn't surprise me.
Miller: It might just be a late draft-season smoke screen, but there is a lot of chatter about the Steelers not being sold on quarterbacks other than Pitt's Kenny Pickett in this class. The Steelers famously attended several pro days and had the top quarterbacks on their radar this offseason, but the rumors dominating the text lines this week have Pittsburgh potentially going offensive tackle in Round 1 if the quarterbacks aren't available.
So the chatter on the cell phones amongst NFL insiders is that the Steelers will select Pickett, or go with an offensive tackle. Offensive tackle has seemed to slide down the list of things that Steelers' fans are hoping for recently. The signing of Chukwuma Okorafor paired with the progress of Dan Moore Jr last season seemed to make the thought of a first round tackle unnecessary. Especially when they have other larger holes at receiver, and safety.
Steelers Top Potential Options for Tackle
Evan Neal (Jr., Alabama, 6-foot-7, 337 pounds)
Ikem Ekwonu (Jr., N.C. State, 6-4, 310)
Charles Cross (So., Mississippi St., 6-4, 307)
Trevor Penning (Sr., Northern Iowa, 6-7, 325)
Bernhard Raimann (Sr., Central Michigan, 6-6, 303)
Daniel Faalele (Sr., Minnesota, 6-8, 384)
Tackle Charles Cross / Getty
The Steelers have been connected to a few of the top prospects at tackle in some mock drafts. Mostly Trevor Penning, and Charles Cross when it comes to first round selections. Evan Neal, and Ikem Ekwonu will be long gone by the time the Steelers pick becomes available. In the second round the Steelers could consider Daniel Faalele who is a mammoth of a man at 6-8 384 pounds. But it just doesn't seem likely that they select an offensive tackle in the first round. If they somehow find a way to sign Tyrann Mathieu before the draft, then it's possible because they could afford a luxury pick. It's a deep class of wide receivers, so they could take an offensive lineman in the first, and come back with a receiver in the second.
But stranger things have happened. They did reach for Terrell Edmunds, and Jarvis Jones in the first.
