Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett seems like he was destined to join the black and gold. Pickett was freely acknowledged as the best quarterback in the worst rookie class since EJ Manuel was the only first-round quarterback in the 2013 NFL Draft. Manuel actually went four slots higher than the former Pitt Panther, but the league's loss is Pittsburgh's gain.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pickett joined the Not Just Football With Cam Heyward podcast with the leader of the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers, Cam Heyward. Heyward, who was a first-round pick himself from Ohio State, prompted the rookie about the draft night experience and he recalled just how stressful the first-round of the draft was and how he felt as more and more names were called:
“Draft night was stressful, man,” Pickett began. “I had no clue where I was going. You saw the other quarterbacks didn’t go.”“You had a clue, don’t do that,” Heyward interrupted the rookie. “You had a clue.”
“I swear, I would tell you when I was falling, I hit 20,” Pickett replied. “If it’s not this one, then I really don’t know.”
Pickett was rumored to go as high as the 11th overall pick to the New Orleans Saints as the only quarterback in the draft with a first-round grade. Malik Willis, who ultimately ended up with the Tennessee Titans, was a combine wunderkind and was the only quarterback rumored to be able to leapfrog him in the process:
“I thought it was either going to be the Saints or Pittsburgh,” Pickett smiled. “If it wasn’t Pittsburgh, there was a lot of teams that said they were going to trade back to get me. That list was pretty long. After 20, I think it would have got pretty hectic.”
Pickett had very real questions going into the draft. He was a little older than most rookies at 24, but with the pandemic-shortened season, it was reasonable for him to stay a year longer in college. He had good measurables, except for his hand size. No quarterback with hands under 9 inches, not named Michael Vick, had a successful NFL career. Whispers about his consistency with accuracy also made the rounds during the lead-up to draft night:
“My phone rang at my draft party. Everyone thought it was the Saints at 19,” Pickett said. “Coach T [Mike Tomlin] called, and he was like, 'How cool is that, we got Kenny,' and dude is like, 'You're one pick too late, the Saints are on the phone with him right now.' Little did he know, I was on the phone with him, like Omar [Khan], it was so funny.”
Quarterback Kenny Pickett, center, the Pittsburgh Steelers first-round NFL football draft pick, poses for a photo with head coach Mike Tomlin, left, and president/owner Art Rooney II, at the team's training facility in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The unflappable Mike Tomlin’s facial reaction would have been a priceless picture, but if it is out there, it hasn’t emerged. Pittsburgh had the quarterback they wanted, and it seems like they did a masterful job by spending a lot of time with Willis in the time leading up to the draft. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense. They had five years of interactions with Pickett at the facility and didn’t need to raise red flags by aggressively interviewing him.
No other quarterback from the class of 2022 went above the third round and Pickett is currently battling the last quarterback selected in the draft, Brock Purdy, for the right to be the head of the class. The jury is out on the other six draft picks who are still employed by NFL teams. All saw time with mixed results, but the jury is definitely out on all of them. The only quarterback who did not make a roster from the draft was the Steelers’ seventh-round pick, Chris Oladokun.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is the class of 2022 going to be remembered as an underrated group when the dust clears? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
