5 players the Steelers should have taken over Kenny Pickett

Steelers missed out on Willis

Though there was no clear top quarterback in this draft class, most seemed to fall into two categories of thought. Pickett was the safe pro-ready option whose ceiling wasn’t immense but should develop into an average starter. Malik Willis, on the other hand, was the boom-or-bust prospect with a high ceiling but would need a lot of work in the pros to reach his potential ceiling.

With Mitch Trubisky locked into starting due to his contract, the Steelers had time to let a quarterback develop some. They won’t need Pickett to play this year by any means, but with him already pro-ready his development likely won’t be that huge. The team had time on their side when picking a quarterback, and it just seems like an oversight to have taken Pickett.

To be clear, both of these quarterbacks have their flaws and issues. Willis has a floor well below Pickett, but he has the traits to become an elite player in time if he were developed properly. The same can’t be said about Pickett in my opinion. The team opted for the safer playing with the far worse ceiling. I think it’s a move they will regret down the road.

The Steelers seemingly found their guy in Pickett in this draft. While he has some decent traits, there were better names and fits for this team on the board. While it wasn’t a disaster by any means, the team would have been better off selecting one of these five players instead.