With the Steelers draft officially in the books, here are the three worst values from the group of rookies that the team added.
The Steelers had a relatively predictable draft, as they didn’t deviate much from what they normally do in any given year. While some of their picks seem like a great value, others were far more questionable. With the draft officially over, there are three picks that stand out as really bad values. Here are the three worst value picks from the Steelers 2022 draft class.
Steelers third-worst value
While saying that any day three pick is bad value is typically a stretch, it was certainly a surprise that the team invested two picks into the quarterback room. Chris Oladokun, the team’s seventh-round pick, has some fun tape to watch. That said, his potential is capped, and even spending a seventh-round pick on him seemed like a reach.
To be clear, the Oladokun move was to ensure the team got the fourth quarterback that they wanted to get for training camp. They could have tried to sign him as an undrafted free agent, but odds are he would have gotten a better deal elsewhere. That said, the team spent draft capital on someone they expect to be the fourth-best quarterback in training camp. Value-wise, that is a tough pill to swallow.
This is also coming off a year where the Steelers got some good production out of their late-round picks. Pressley Harvin was the starting punter for most of the season while Tre Norwood developed into a quality reserve defensive back. Oladokun was a puzzling pick and poor value. Unless he takes the backup position by the end of camp, it will be hard to see the value in this selection.
Steelers second-worst value
While the story is a nice one, the Steelers making Connor Heyward their sixth-round pick wasn’t the best choice from a value standpoint. While a productive player in college that can be used in a variety of ways, he will likely be limited to fullback work as a pro given his size. That said, as a runner and receiver Heyward was a good weapon for Michigan States’ offense.
The issue is the value of where the Steelers landed Heyward. While a sixth-round pick isn’t the most valuable of a selection, there were other players at greater positions of need that could have been the target here. Add in Derek Watt already being on the roster as the team’s fullback and the selection of Heyward is even more questionable.
The real reason the value here is so questionable is that the Steelers, to this point, have rarely been able to use a player with Heyward’s skill set effectively. They barely use a fullback anymore, so spending a sixth-round pick on one doesn’t make much sense. The one caveat here is that Heyward should be a great special teams player. If he can make an impact there, he could be worth his selection eventually. As of now though, the pick is not a great value.
Steelers worst value
While no one could have predicted that the quarterback class would be this poorly received in 2022, it was shocking to see most of the class get picked after the third round. Sure, there were obvious questions about who was the best prospect and it seemed as though the top names were all relatively close in terms of who was the best, but to see this class shake out the way that it did was shocking.
Thus, the selection of Kenny Pickett at pick 20 can’t be seen as great value. Yes, the Steelers needed a quarterback, but the team likely could have worked out a deal to add draft picks and still get their guy. A trade back into one of the last few picks could have netted the team another mid-round pick and they likely still would have gotten their guy.
The Steelers also could have just tried trading up in the second to land Pickett or they could have waited until the third round to get their guy. Matt Corral and Malik Willis were both on the board then and would have presented far greater values than Pickett. While Pickett has a shot to get on the field sooner than later, his value in the middle of the first round has to be questioned.
The Steelers draft class was far from bad, but there were some mediocre value picks by the time the event had wrapped up. While this won’t stop these players from producing, the initial value of where they were taken has to be questioned. Only time will tell if they end up working out, but these three picks were easily the team’s worst value from the 2022 draft class.