Hindsight is always 20/20, as is the case with the Pittsburgh Steelers in many instances. To say the Steelers should never have drafted him is a bit of an overstatement. Like the other quarterbacks in the 2022 draft, he probably should not have been chosen until the third round.
Even though the Steelers had a winning record by the end of the season with Pickett, they eked one out, barely, thanks to a winning streak after the bye week. The Steelers had another path to take, which, admittedly, many of us did not want to hear before the start of the 2023 season. The Steelers should have turned to Mason Rudolph.
Analysts like Charlie Batch, for example, supported making Mason Rudolph the number one quarterback. Some of us wrote articles criticizing his thoughts of turning to Mason Rudolph for anything. However, this didn't necessarily mean drafting Kenny Pickett would be the best option. It simply meant sticking with Mason Rudolph would have been a losing proposition.
Would the Steelers have had a losing season with Mason Rudolph? Perhaps or perhaps not, but it's realistic to think they might have finished 8-9 or worse. However, here's how the Steelers could have been better if they hadn't drafted Kenny Pickett.
Why the Steelers should not have Drafted Kenny Pickett
We all know Kevin Colbert would retire following the 2022 draft, and he wanted to go out with a bang. Finding the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger seemed his primary focus. If not to cement his legacy as the Steelers' general manager, to also excise the ghosts of the Steelers not drafting Pitt star Dan Marino in 1983.
Now, he couldn't have known all the implications of his decision to draft Kenny Pickett. However, even Colbert and Mike Tomlin must have suspected it was risky. Perhaps taking a plug-and-play quarterback from a suspect draft class could have repercussions.
What should the Steelers have done? First, they should have made Mason Rudolph their number-one quarterback. As much as it hurts to admit, they should have signed Mitch Trubisky as Rudolph's backup. It seems doubtful that Trubisky signed as the backup, but that's another argument.
The next step would have been deciding whom to draft. We could spend all day speculating on different draft scenarios. However, there seems to be one scenario where they could have made the same draft choices, except they wouldn't have drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round and DeMarvin Leal in the third round.
The Steelers, with their first selection, should have drafted George Karlaftis. His 16.5 sacks and 80 tackles eclipse Leal's one sack and 18 tackles in the same span of games. Then, in the third round, they should have drafted Sam Howell. You might think this notion peculiar, but the Steelers would not have made Howell their second-string quarterback.
Secondly, after riding the bench in the 2022 season, Sam Howell had a decent season in 2023 despite Washington's record, and if the Commanders do not fire Ron Rivera, Washington does not trade Howell to Seattle at the end of 2023.
Why the Steelers would have been better with a losing season in 2023
Look at it from this perspective. With Howell as a third-string quarterback, if Rudolph gets injured, Trubisky would be the backup and, as we now know, would not have fared better than Rudolph. Howell Stays on the bench until 2023. The Steelers, with a worse record, could have garnered perhaps the 10th draft choice or finished as high as maybe the 6th, somewhere in that range. Plus, the Steelers would have still had the 32nd selection as well.
With a higher draft choice, the Steelers would still need to get assistance for the offensive line and draft Broderick Jones, or perhaps they draft Paris Johnson. Either way, they would not have needed to trade with New England and would still have the Bears' 32nd selection plus.
They could still select Joey Porter at 23, but then, with a much higher draft position, they would also have the 37th or 38th selection. If they draft Karlaftis in 2022, they select offensive lineman Matthew Bergron, Joe Tippmann, or Cody Mauch instead of Keeanu Benton with their following selection.
Then, they would accomplish in 2023 what they did in 2024. Plus, if needed, they could have still drafted Troy Fautanu this year as well. If Sam Howell had played poorly in 2023, bringing in Russell Wilson or trading for Justin Fields would still have been viable options at the start of 2024's free agency. The only major difference is that the Steelers wouldn't have needed to trade Sam Howell as they did with Kenny Pickett.