Steelers will keep their QB over one with no upside
If you are part of the camp that doesn’t think that Kenny Pickett has enough upside to be a great NFL quarterback, then I would beg you to examine Mac Jones. Despite being the 15th overall pick in a loaded quarterback class in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jones hasn’t shown nearly enough to believe that he can demand the offense and control the outcome of games.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise either. Though Jones had excellent college production at Alabama, he wasn’t a great athlete and rarely showcased the ability to extend the play or improvise when needed. By every sense of the definition, Jones is a pocket passer and one who has put up very pedestrian numbers early in his career.
Meanwhile, Pickett doesn’t have an elite arm, but he is a notably better athlete who can do more than just deliver the ball on time — he can extend the play and move the chains with his legs. Running with the football isn’t the most important trait, but Pickett certainly has more tools at his disposal than a system guy like Mac Jones.
Even with Jones landing on the perfect team for his skillset, he doesn’t seem like a player that you would want to build your franchise around. The Steelers were rumored to have at least some interest in the Alabama product during the pre-draft process in 2021, but there’s no way they would trade Pickett for him at this point.