The Pittsburgh Steelers are searching for their next franchise, and it’s no surprise that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were on hand for Pitt’s Pro Day.
With Pitt’s NFL Pro Day within an earshot of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was no surprise to see that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were in attendance on March 21st. This only makes sense, as the front office has one goal in mind that stands above the rest: finding the next franchise quarterback.
It’s not like there were a lot of other conflicting Pro Day schedules that would have made this more difficult. Though Carson Strong was working out simultaneously at Nevada’s Pro Day, Pickett is clearly the more highly-touted prospect between the two, and Pittsburgh’s brass didn’t need to go far.
While there are several draft prospects participating in workouts, make no mistake: the Steelers are on hand to see QB Kenny Pickett — a player they have no doubt gotten a good look at over the past five seasons.
Pittsburgh wasn’t the only team to send their big dogs today. The Carolina Panthers sent members of their organization to scout the first-round QB prospect, while the Washington Commanders reportedly have seven members of their brass on hand. The Falcons also sent their general manager, offensive coordinator, and quarterback coach to scout Pickett.
Pickett already has extensive experience playing at Heinz Field and he’s obviously a player who will be very high on their draft radar. However, with other teams having interest, it’s hard to say where he will wind up.
Steelers might have to trade up for Pickett
In addition to the Panthers, Commanders, and Falcons, the Lions, Saints, Giants, Eagles, Seahawks, and Titans each sent their quarterback coaches to Pittsburgh to get a good look at Kenny Pickett, according to Jim Nagy. It’s looking more and more like Kenny Pickett might not be available with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
This shouldn’t catch you completely off guard, as I’m sure most of you have read mock drafts that have had Pickett going to a team like the Panthers or Commanders well before the Steelers were on the clock.
Trading up might be necessary in order to land a player like Pickett. If I had to make a guess right now based on the interests that the Steelers have shown this offseason, I’d say Kenny Pickett is their second-favorite player Pittsburgh would like to come away with this April.
The first would be Liberty QB Malik Willis — a player the Steelers supposedly fell in love with at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. While Pickett doesn’t possess the same tools as Willis, he does offer some things that Willis doesn’t have.
Pickett has good size for the position at 6’3” and 217 pounds, and loads of experience playing for a Power Five program in the ACC. While not a burner with his legs, Pickett has good athleticism to get outside the pocket and extended the play — a trait that’s almost a must for today’s NFL quarterback.
His tiny hands are a topic that doesn’t seem to go away. While Pickett’s hands measured slightly larger at his Pro Day (8 5/8”), they are still the third-smallest hands from any quarterback entering the league since 1999, according to Mockdraftable’s database. Some teams worry how much this will affect his velocity with a bigger NFL football, and his 38 college fumbles are worrisome.
At the end of the day, Kenny Pickett is going to be a first-round pick. Whether this is by the Pittsburgh Steelers or some other team remains to be seen. However, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert’s attendance makes Pickett a player who is securely on their NFL Draft radar.