The most confusing 2022 draft pick from Steelers and their rivals
By Austin Lloyd
While they could have certainly been worse, the Steelers and their division rivals each had a head-scratching pick or two in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 2022 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and each AFC North power made quite the impact throughout its unfolding. This ranges from things as tame as the Steelers taking local quarterback Kenny Pickett to some franchises completely taking the draft by storm (like the Ravens and Browns did with their combined total of 20 selections).
But as always, the abundance of good must come with at least a dollop of bad or (at the very least) questionable. This year’s installment of the draft was no exception, as each AFC North team had at least one pick that would make just about everyone raise an eyebrow.
So without further ado, we have the most confusing 2022 draft pick from each team in the AFC North division.
Baltimore Ravens: Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina
The Ravens had the most draft picks of the four teams (11), and their ignorance regarding what exactly they should do with them started to bleed through as the drafting process entered the third and final day.
Despite them already having one of the more promising tight ends in Mark Andrews and just losing wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to a trade, Baltimore’s draft haul ended up with two tight ends and no wide receivers. That is why the second of the two tight ends taken, Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely, is listed here today. He just wasn’t really needed.
Likely wasn’t the only pick that left some puzzled, though, as the Ravens also took Penn State punter Jordan Stout in the fourth round — a kind of move that will always be met with skepticism. But hey, at least they didn’t turn around and grab another one later as they did for the tight end position.