Kenny Pickett was the best possible option at QB for the Steelers in 2022

Waiting until the 2023 NFL Draft is still very much a mystery

One of the biggest arguments against taking a quarterback in 2022 is that the draft class did not consist of a strong group of quarterbacks and many believed 2023 will be much better. While I have no doubt that 2023 will produce a better QB class as a whole, finding a franchise guy was still very much a big risk.

Most believe that Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are going to go very early in the draft, and each has their own issues that prevent them from being can’t-miss prospects. Young is going to be incredibly undersized, while Stroud really doesn’t have any defining traits.

Even if these two players prove to be successful, the Steelers weren’t likely to end up with a top draft choice to take one of them. If they missed out on the top two quarterbacks, they would have to look at passers with big red flags like Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, or Hendon Hooker. Levis and Richardson had a disappointing season statistically, while Hooker is a former transfer who will be recovering from an ACL tear.

On top of this, Levis and Hooker will be just as old as Kenny Pickett coming out of college with plenty of risks of their own. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers will someday regret not waiting until 2023 to take a QB in the draft, but they certainly wouldn’t have been guaranteed to get a better player than Pickett.