Which Steelers rookie will make the biggest impact in year one?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some rookies that could be able to step in and contribute right away, but which one will make the biggest impact in 2022?

A decade ago, NFL rookies weren’t asked to do nearly as much as they are in today’s league. Teams had the luxury of sitting their young players and essentially giving them a redshirt year to sit and learn behind a seasoned veteran.

Those days are in the past. With many of these players breaking the bank after their rookie contracts (and some even getting their money early), teams are looking to get their rookies involved much earlier.

Over the past several years, the Steelers have been no exception to this, and Kevin Colbert has admitted that they look for players who can come in and contribute right away with their first three draft picks.

Pittsburgh is in a very interesting situation at the moment. There was a lot of roster turnover this offseason with Ben Roethlisberger retiring and Pittsburgh losing three of their top five receivers. Fans are no doubt eager to see who will which 2022 rookie will make the biggest impact this year.

Many believe that will be Kenny Pickett. This will certainly be the case if the Steelers first-round pick is asked to start early in the season. However, it’s still unclear which direction Pittsburgh will look to go at QB, and we may have to wait until training camp to learn more.

If not Pickett, most fans would assume that second-round pick George Pickens would have the greatest impact of all the rookies. I think there’s certainly a chance this could be the case, but another prediction.

Could Austin be the Steelers impact rookie?

Calvin Austin was the 138th overall pick in the fourth round, so claiming that he could somehow be the biggest impact rookie for the Steelers this year is kind of bold. However, it’s not hard to figure out why he could be when you really examine the situation.

Let’s start with the player. Austin was ranked much higher on the NFL consensus board than where he was drafted. The average expert rankings suggested that he should have been a third-round pick instead of a compensatory fourth-rounder.

Don’t let Austin’s size or draft status fool you. This kid can play. Austin measured in at just under 5’8” and 170 pounds, but don’t call him a gadget. He’s a natural-born wide receiver in terms of route-running, hands, and feel for the position. Austin was electrifying at each level of the field at Memphis.

Next, look at the situation. Kenny Pickett isn’t guaranteed to get the starting job over Mitch Trubisky from the gate. Meanwhile, the Steelers have two receivers they like on the outside in Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. While it’s possible that they could kick one of them inside in ’11’ personnel, they weren’t willing to do so to get James Washington on the field last year.

Instead, the Steelers used Ray-Ray McCloud often after JuJu Smith-Schuster landed on IR. Calvin Austin is already very familiar with working from the slot and is the quick-twitched player the Steelers usually like for this role.

Of the two rookie receivers, I think Pickens is going to prove to be the better player in the long run, but Austin might be more prepared to contribute right away. Austin played in 36 games over a four-year span in college and was uber-productive in 2020 and 2021. The 23-year-old has plenty of experience under his belt and was frequently targeted.

On the other hand, while Pickens flashes impressive upside, he was just 20 years old this past season and played in just 12 games over the past two years, via Sports Reference. It’s possible that he will need more time to learn and develop (unless, of course, the talent is just too good for the Steelers to keep him off the field).

In addition to Austin’s receiving ability, he can also handle punt return duties. Over 29 returns in college, Austin averaged an impressive 11.1 yards per return and earned 2 touchdowns.

Like I said, if Kenny Pickett ends up being the starting quarterback, the conversation is over. He will be the biggest impact rookie. But if he doesn’t, I can certainly see a path where Calvin Austin III is the player that carves out the biggest role with the team in year one.