Steelers make contentious draft choice and go with Pickett as number one

Normally, when the Steelers draft a player, most fans have a  general optimistic feeling regardless of the position the draft pick plays.

Last night during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, the Steelers took the lone quarterback in round one as they selected the hometown college hero Kenny Pickett. As euphoric as fans should be, in this case, not everyone is.

Steelers fans will fall into several different categories regarding Pickett’s selection. First, Steelers were in two basic camps, those who wanted a quarterback and those who did not. Those who did want the quarterback are, at least in general, optimistic.

Yet it would be fair to point out that perhaps all are not overly ecstatic. Some wanted Malik Willis, the highly mobile quarterback from Liberty, while others either hoped for Matt Corral from Ole Miss or Desmond Ridder from Cincinnati. While each quarterback had some upsides, each one had negative points too.

In Pickett’s case, while most slated him as the most pro-ready in that if needed, he’s the most capable of starting on the pro level, while the other quarterbacks need time to develop before becoming starters. On the flipside, Pickett has the smallest hand size of any quarterback in the group, and his hands are not a full nine inches.

Why is that a problem? Only one quarterback since 2012 has had more the 250 dropbacks with hands less than 9 inches. The honor goes to Michael Vick. He is also the most successful of any quarterback with hands less than nine inches, and the only reason for that is that he did not have to throw as much with his great mobility. So there are valid reasons to be wary of him.