In an offseason filled with additions and subtractions to the roster, one move stands above the rest for the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin.
That move? Drafting Pittsburgh Panthers’ star quarterback Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall.
It was certainly a busy offseason for the Steelers in the final months of now-retired GM Kevin Colbert’s career, one unlike any we’ll likely see ever again, considering the way the Steelers do busy year after year.
While the additions of offensive linemen James Daniels and Mason Cole might be more impactful right away for the Steelers, as well as the signings of cornerback Levi Wallace and linebacker Myles Jack on the defensive side of the football, in the end things continue to revolve around the quarterback position, with Pickett being the key addition, according to Benjamin.
“Pittsburgh quietly had a tremendous offseason, bolstering an iffy line with ex-Bears OG James Daniels and finding another draft-day WR gem in George Pickens,” Benjamin writes. “But nothing matters more than QB, and while Pickett may very well project as more of a safe signal-caller than a spicy one, he’s got the hometown roots and all-around toolkit to keep Mike Tomlin in the playoff mix.”
As Benjamin writes, nothing matters more than the quarterback position, fair or not.
With the selection of Pickett, the Steelers believe that they’re set up for the foreseeable future at the position following 18 years of Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. Though Pickett is more safe than spicy, as Benjamin writes, he was very clearly the Steelers’ top-rated quarterback on their board, which certainly matters, considering they had the pick of the litter at No. 20 overall with no quarterbacks off the board to that point.
Hitting on the Pickett selection could pay off in a major way for the Steelers moving forward in the post-Roethlisberger era, especially with a strong defense on the other side of the ball, and legitimate offensive building blocks at the skill positions in Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, and Najee Harris.
