Passing on Kittle in favor of Dobbs in 2017
The Steelers were TE room was in a state of disarray ahead of the 2017 season. Heath Miller was retired, Ladarius Green was cut, and Jesse James was still developing. The Steelers lacked a true starter, but in the fourth round of the draft, they opted to take Joshua Dobbs over George Kittle. Dobbs is an average backup QB who is now in Jacksonville while Kittle has become one of the best TE’s in the game (and has as many TD catches as Dobbs has professional passing attempts).
Even more infuriating is that, on tape, Kittle was a blocking TE, something the Steelers demand of their starters. His lack of receiving tape is what ultimately caused him to fall that far, but considering the Steeler’s demands for blocking, it shouldn’t have bothered them. While the Steelers needed talent at the QB position, Kittle has become a versatile starter while Dobbs hasn’t.
The Steelers were later forced to trade for Vance McDonald, and while he has been solid for the Steelers, the only reason he was available via trade was due to Kittle impressing for the 49ers. The Steelers could have gone around this simply by selecting Kittle instead of Dobbs. Given the need at the position and how perfectly the pick lined up, the Steelers passing on him is a huge regret.