He wasn’t the biggest, strongest or flashiest at the position coming out of the University of Pittsburgh in the 2022 NFL Draft, but what Pittsburgh Steelers second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett had was natural leadership, toughness, accuracy and the skill where it matters most at the position: between the ears.
Oftentimes, stuff like that gets overlooked in the evaluation process leading up to the NFL Draft each and every year. Size, arm strength and overall flashiness often draws the most attention and generates the most hype and projection.
Knowing that, it’s no surprise that Pickett, who was selected at No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Steelers and was the only quarterback to come off the board until the third round, ranked as the worst first-round quarterback of the last five years compared to the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft class by ESPN’s Matt Miller Friday.
Miller polled NFL scouts, decision-makers and analysts to help build the list, and pre-draft grades were the only consideration in the rankings. Nothing the quarterbacks have done in the NFL to date were considered.
Pickett came in at No. 18 out of 18 in the rankings, behind names like Green Bay’s Jordan Love, the late Dwayne Haskins, New York’s Daniel Jones and New England’s Mac Jones.
“In any other draft, this dude is not a first-rounder,” said one scout to Miller, who covered Pickett’s time in college. “No way.”
That was largely the consensus with Pickett after he came off the board at No. 20 overall. The argument was that he didn’t have the physical tools to be a first-round quarterback and was only pushed up the board due to the position he plays. That happens every year. Guys like Love, Haskins and even Daniel Jones probably wouldn’t have been first-round picks in other drafts. But, in the classes that they were in, they ended up coming off the board.
Heck, Jones went No. 6 overall!
One other scout argued to Miller that, “first-rounders are first-rounders, and he had toughness, mobility, accuracy and leadership skills that earned him that grade.”
Pickett earned that grade from the Steelers due to his final season at Pitt, setting numerous college records, winning an ACC championship and finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist. He was the real deal in 2021 at Pitt.
But now, it’s time to prove the doubters wrong, especially when it comes to his pre-draft evaluation, which is something players carry with them and use as motivation.
“As you can see, Pickett was and remains polarizing when asking evaluators to grade his game,” Miller writes for ESPN.com regarding Pickett. “He was the only quarterback taken in the first round of a weak 2022 class for the position, and the only one drafted in the first 73 picks. Pickett did throw 42 touchdown passes during his final year at Pitt, but he also lacked arm strength. In his rookie year, he completed just 63 percent of his throws and threw nine interceptions over 13 games. Heading into his second season with the Steelers, he has a chance to prove doubters wrong.”
Though he’s just 13 games into his career and the numbers don’t look all that great, it certainly feels like the Steelers have the right guy for the job moving forward, based on his leadership, moxie and overall confidence.
It’s very clear the Steelers have their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Will he be able to ascend into that “franchise QB” tier, one that gives them a chance to win no matter the opponent every time they step between the white lines? That remains to be seen.
In the end, his pre-draft grade won’t matter. What will matter is what he does now and into the future with the Steelers. He certainly looks the part and played well down the stretch in his rookie season. With some added pieces around him, Pickett could be in line for a significant Year Two leap.
He does that, his pre-draft grade will look even sillier, especially compared to some of the names ranked ahead of him.
