Did the Steelers make the right move selecting Kenny Pickett?

The NFL Draft is finally here and the Steelers finally got their quarterback, but did they make the right pick?

The Steelers had been linked to selecting a quarterback throughout the draft process, and to nobody’s surprise, they followed through with that and did select a quarterback.

Kenny Pickett was linked to the Steelers early in the draft process, and late in the draft process, and while there were others linked to the team, he was clearly in the running all along.

Pickett gives the Steelers a safe floor

While many wanted Malik Willis, the Steelers felt more comfortable selecting a more established product in Pickett, than a risky high upside player in Willis. Pickett will be 24 when the season starts and will provide the Steelers with the potential to start on Day 1. He will enter training camp and will compete with Mitchell Trubisky for the starting quarterback job.

According to ESPN, Pickett threw for 4,319 yards, with 42 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his senior season at Pitt. After a tremendous final season at Pittsburgh, Pickett helped lead the team to a victory in the ACC Championship Game and also finished as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

To top it all off, Pickett holds all the passing records at Pitt, including passing yards, touchdowns, attempts, and completions. Owning the passing records at the same school that Dan Marino played for is no small feat, and is something that Pickett deserves more credit for.

Pickett may not have the same mobility as Willis, but he is a much better athlete than he is given credit for being. The Steelers will have much more mobility at the quarterback position than they had at quarterback with Ben Roethlisberger last year, and as seen in the ACC Championship Game last season with his famous, “Fake Slide” run.

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Was Pickett the right choice?

Only time will tell if Pickett was the right selection for the Steelers brass. However, it’s hard to fault the Steelers for taking a much more pro-ready option over a much more raw prospect who is physically gifted. While it may have been enticing to see Willis in a Steelers uniform, there is no guarantee that he would have panned out at the pro level.

Instead, the Steelers opted for the safer choice and someone who is a much more sure bet to be a starting quarterback at the NFL level. While his ceiling may not be as high, Steelers fans should be happy that they have their next franchise quarterback and should be optimistic about his future, and what he can do for the team.

The Steelers had their pick of the litter at the quarterback position, as all the quarterbacks were available when the team was on the board. So, without question, Pickett was the top guy on their board, and since they got the top guy on their board, that gives much more justification for their selection.

With nobody selecting a quarterback ahead of them, the team avoided the nightmare scenario of forcing a pick at the position, just because it was a position of need, even though he wasn’t their top option.

The future will tell whether or not the Steelers made the right selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. But for now, fans should be happy with the pick and should watch a lot of Kenny Pickett’s highlights, as they will be getting used to watching number 8 under center for years to come.