Players in the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers rookie class have completed their third season. Quarterback Kenny Pickett is gone, but we’ll see how wide receiver George Pickens and defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal stacked up against their draft class contemporaries. I’ll also comment on the rest of the rookie class.
Here is the link to their second year review if you want to compare the statistical changes from last season.
I’ll be recapping the Steelers rookie classes from 2020 to 2024. Here are the recaps already posted:
2023 Rookie Draft Class. Some promising young players, but room for improvement.
2024 Rookie Draft Class. A look at how this year’s rookies stack up against their contemporaries after one season.
All statistics extracted from the Pro Football Reference (PFR) unless otherwise noted. The tables highlight each player’s Steelers Depot draft profile where available. Here is how the Steelers top two 2022 draft picks stack up statistically against their contemporaries after three seasons of play:
QUARTERBACK
| Name | G/GS | Comp | ATT | CMP % | YDs | Suc% | TDs | INTs | Sack | Y/G | OnTgt | Rating | |
| Kenny Pickett | 30/25 | 471 | 755 | 62.4 | 4765 | 42.3 | 15 | 14 | 54 | 158.8 | 71.5 | 79.3 | |
| Desmond Ridder | 25/28 | 374 | 588 | 63.6 | 4002 | 44.5 | 16 | 14 | 50 | 160.1 | 74.5 | 82.6 | |
| Malik Willis | 18/5 | 75 | 120 | 62.5 | 900 | 33.8 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 50.0 | 74.1 | 83.3 | |
| Matt Corral | Yet to Make NFL Debut | ||||||||||||
| Bailey Zappe | 15/9 | 208 | 335 | 62.1 | 2223 | 38.4 | 12 | 14 | 32 | 148.2 | 75.1 | 76.0 | |
| Sam Howell | 20/18 | 404 | 645 | 62.6 | 4139 | 41.6 | 22 | 23 | 72 | 207.0 | 73.0 | 77.5 | |
| Brock Purdy | 40/36 | 722 | 1069 | 67.5 | 9518 | 51.7 | 64 | 27 | 70 | 238.0 | 77.0 | 104.9 | |
Career Earnings and Relative Value
Here is a chart showing the career earnings from Over the Cap of the group with their overall selection in the draft and how I ranked them:
| Name | Drafted by | Drafted/OA | Rank | Earnings |
| Brock Purdy | 49ers | Round 7/262 | 1 | 2,637,012 |
| Desmond Ridder | Falcons | Round 3/74 | 2 | 3,423,551 |
| Kenny Pickett | Steelers | Round 1/20 | 3 | 11,444,554 |
| Sam Howell | Commanders | Round 5/144 | 4 | 2,921,600 |
| Malik Willis | Titans | Round 3/86 | 5 | 3,751,450 |
| Bailey Zappe | Patriots | Round 4/137 | 6 | 2,911,516 |
| Matt Corral | Panthers | Round 3/94 | 7 | 1,381,461 |
Quarterback Summary
A horrible quarterback class. Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, is the only starter for his original team. Kenny Pickett is no longer with the Steelers but may get a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Eagles. Kevin Colbert swung and missed on selecting a franchise quarterback in his last draft as Steelers General Manager. None of the others are expected to be a regular starting quarterback in 2025.
WIDE RECEIVER
| Name | G | Snaps D/ST | TGTs | RECs | Yds | Suc% | Y/R | Y/G | Catch % | Drop% | Points |
| Christian Watson | 38 | 1508/14 | 172 | 98 | 1653 | 60.0 | 16.9 | 43.5 | 57.0 | 5.2 | 98 |
| Wan’Dale Robinson | 38 | 1727/0 | 249 | 176 | 1451 | 48.2 | 8.2 | 38.2 | 70.7 | 4.0 | 36 |
| John Metchie | 29 | 691/30 | 67 | 40 | 412 | 46.3 | 10.3 | 14.2 | 59.7 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Tyquan Thornton | 28 | 863/0 | 76 | 39 | 385 | 32.9 | 9.9 | 13.8 | 51.3 | 7.9 | 18 |
| George Pickens | 48 | 2585/9 | 293 | 174 | 2841 | 48.1 | 16.3 | 59.2 | 59.4 | 3.8 | 80 |
| Alec Pierce | 49 | 2632/6 | 212 | 110 | 1931 | 48.1 | 17.6 | 39.4 | 51.9 | 4.2 | 66 |
| Skyy Moore | 36 | 890/55 | 74 | 43 | 494 | 51.4 | 11.5 | 13.7 | 58.1 | 5.4 | 6 |
Career Earnings and Relative Value
Here is a chart showing the career earnings from Over the Cap of the group with their overall selection in the draft and how I ranked them:
| Name | Drafted by | Drafted/OA | Rank | Earnings |
| George Pickens | Steelers | Round 2/52 | 1 | 5,126,434 |
| Alec Pierce | Colts | Round 2/53 | 2 | 4,996,159 |
| Wan’Dale Robinson | Giants | Round 2/43 | 3 | 6,364,007 |
| Christian Watson | Packers | Round 2/34 | 4 | 7,275,885 |
| Skyy Moore | Chiefs | Round 2/54 | 5 | 4,865,891 |
| John Metchie | Texans | Round 2/44 | 6 | 6,154,699 |
| Tyquan Thornton | Patriots | Round 2/50 | 7 | 4,950,924 |
Wide Receiver Summary
George Pickens still tops this group despite being the fifth selected in the draft. He lagged toward end of 2024 but scored a touchdown in the playoff loss to Baltimore. He leads the group in receiving yards, yards per game and drop percentage. He’s also second in receptions and points scored but has a lot of penalties, 14 for 262 yards. Despite his talent, his mercurial personality makes his future in Pittsburgh uncertain.
Alec Pierce climbs to second in the group. He led NFL with 22.3 yards per reception in 2024. He’s second in receiving yards gained within this group, but his catch percentage is second to worst as he is a long ball target. Wan’Dale Robinson is third. He came back to play 17 games in 2024 after just six his rookie year. A possession receiver, he’s last in yards per reception but first in receptions and catch percentage. Plus, he has the second lowest drop percentage. Christian Watson drops from second to fourth in the group. Multiple injuries have cut into his playing time. He did play 15 games in 2024, but the leading scorer in this group tore an ACL and ended the season on injured reserve.
Skyy Moore leads the back of the pack at fifth. He is second in successful play percentage but last in receiving yards per game. He played just six games in 2024 before injury cut his season short. John Metchie is on the rise. He missed his rookie season due to leukemia. He’s appeared in four playoff games for the Texans. He’s ranked sixth but tops for battling cancer and staying in the league. Tyquan Thornton’s declining production led the Patriots to waive him in 2024. The Chiefs signed him to their practice squad, but he has yet to play for them. He’s near the bottom in most categories.
DEFENSIVE LINE
| Name | G | Snaps D/ST | PDs | FF | FR | Sacks | Tackles | TFL | QBH | MT% |
| Travis Jones | 49 | 1377/417 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 102 | 9 | 11 | 5.6 |
| Alex Wright | 37 | 1033/133 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6.0 | 61 | 9 | 6 | 9.0 |
| DeAngelo Malone | 49 | 308/943 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 51 | 7 | 5 | 5.6 |
| DeMarvin Leal | 28 | 432/88 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 33 | 3 | 3 | 10.8 |
| Cameron Thomas | 41 | 798/326 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 | 51 | 10 | 8 | 5.6 |
| Zachary Carter | 45 | 1685/237 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 68 | 2 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Myjai Sanders | 20 | 397/32 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3.0 | 30 | 4 | 7 | 9.1 |
Career Earnings and Relative Value
Here is a chart showing the career earnings from Over the Cap of the group with their overall selection in the draft and how I ranked them:
| Name | Drafted By | Drafted/OA | Rank | Earnings |
| Travis Jones | Ravens | Round 3/76 | 1 | 3,878,024 |
| Alex Wright | Browns | Round 3/78 | 2 | 3,866,723 |
| DeAngelo Malone | Falcons | Round 3/82 | 3 | 3,811,456 |
| Cameron Thomas | Cardinals | Round 3/87 | 4 | 3,737,838 |
| Zachary Carter | Bengals | Round 3/95 | 5 | 3,466,464 |
| DeMarvin Leal | Steelers | Round 3/84 | 6 | 3,667,648 |
| Myjai Sanders | Cardinals | Round 3/100 | 7 | 2,488,334 |
Defensive Lineman Summary
DeMarvin Leal remains near the bottom of an unimpressive defensive line group. He was on injured reserve for the second season missing most of 2024. Travis Jones emerged as the only fulltime starter in the group. Alex Wright tore his triceps in Week Four this year, but he is a group leader with seven deflected passes, two fumble recoveries, and six sacks.
DeAngelo Malone played more than triple the special teams (943) over the defensive snaps (308). But he does make an impact with the few defensive snaps he gets with seven tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and three sacks. Cameron Thomas is next. Arizona traded him to the Chiefs in 2024. Kansas City waived Thomas after four games. Then the Browns claimed him, and he played five more games there. Thomas played no defensive snaps in 2024.
After playing in every game and starting five in 2023, Zach Carter was waived by the Bengals in October. The Raiders picked him up and he played eight games, but he didn’t make a significant impact. Arizona released Myjai Sanders after placing him on injured reserve just as 2023 started. The Texans claimed Sanders off the waiver wire. He appeared in just seven games. Sanders did not play in the NFL in 2024. However, he does have seven quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, two passes knocked down and a fumble recovery in just 397 defensive snaps. Houston released Sanders in early April. Sanders then signed with the Birmingham Stallions in December 2024. DeMarvin Leal will have a short leash if he returns to training camp. Another injury will likely end his NFL career.
Day Three Selections
The Steelers made four Day Three selections and signed an undrafted free agent who is making a mark.
Calvin Austin spent his rookie season on injured reserve, but he’s played in all 34 games over the past two seasons. He’s emerged as a No. 3 receiver scoring five touchdowns from scrimmage. He received the third most targets in 2024. Also, Austin is the regular punt returner and is a threat to break big returns. He scored a sixth touchdown on a 73-yard punt return in 2024.
Connor Heyward played in all 51 games in his first three seasons. He’s made 19 tackles on special teams. Heyward is a versatile player that can lineup at fullback or tight end. He’s caught two touchdowns, but his offensive snaps halved from 403 in his second year to just 207 in Arthur Smith’s first year as coordinator. We will see if his special teams contributions are enough to keep him on the roster. Hope Smith works him more into the offense.
Mark Robinson emerged as a core special teams player. Robinson played 151 defensive and 302 special team snaps in 2023. A lot of his defensive play after injuries decimated the inside linebacker room. He played well against the run, but his coverage ability was severely tested. With a healthy linebacker room, he played just eight defensive and 301 special team snaps in 2024. A hard hitter, he’s forced three fumbles.
Quarterback Chris Oladokun did not make the roster. Kansas City signed him to their practice squad one week after Pittsburgh released him in the preseason. He’ll end up with three trips to the Super Bowl with Kansas City. He played his first five NFL career snaps in 2024, gaining five yards on a run.
Undrafted Free Agents
Jaylen Warren was signed by Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent. The hard-running Warren has 473 touches for 2,568 yards from scrimmage in his first three seasons. His 50.6 successful run play percentage is encouraging. In 48 games, Warren emerged as part of the one-two punch with Najee Harris, and he is effective in pass protection. In addition to his 1,308 offensive snaps, Warren played 262 special team snaps. That includes averaging 25.2 yards on nine kick returns.
With Najee Harris set to be an undrafted free agent, there is little doubt that the Steelers sign Warren, who is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this offseason. The question is who the Steelers will pair with Warren at running back.
STEELERS DEPOT 2022 ROOKIE ARTICLES
Here are links to recent Steelers Depot Articles on the Steelers 2022 Draft Class and Undrafted Free Agent Jaylen Warren:
| RD | Name | Article | Author | Trend |
| 1 | Kenny Pickett | Rooney: Not a Lot to Learn from Draft Miss | Alex Kozora | SOLD |
| 2 | George Pickens | Contract Status Not Discussed | Matt Marczi | Down |
| 3 | DeMarvin Leal | Leal Placed on Injured Reserve | Alex Kozora | Down |
| 4 | Calvin Austin | Austin Exit Briefing | Matt Marczi | UP |
| 6 | Connor Heyward | Heyward Missing Out on Reindeer Games | Alex Kozora | Down |
| 7 | Mark Robinson | 2024 Stock Watch | Matt Marczi | Even |
| 7 | Chris Oladokun | Could Make NFL Debut | Alex Kozora | SOLD |
| UDFA | Jaylen Warren | Risk Giving Warren Low RFA Tender? | Matt Marczi | Up |
Conclusion
The Steelers drafted seven players in the 2022 draft, plus signed a contributing undrafted free agent. Pittsburgh whiffed on their first-round selection at quarterback. The future of talented but mercurial wide receiver George Pickens is unknown. Austin saw his usage increase in 2024 while Connor Heyward’s declined. Mark Robinson a special teams contributor. DeMarvin Leal ended season on injured reserve.
Losing out on a first-round quarterback is a severe blow. Losing a talented wide receiver doubly so. Hopefully the Steelers can keep Pickens productive. Austin, Heyward, and Robinson play roles on the team but are not leading men. Kevin Colbert’s last draft class in danger of being a bust, with undrafted free agent being a bright spot.
Your Music Selection
I always like to include a bit of music. The future of the 2022 draft class is uncertain. But the end could be near. Here is Roadhouse Blues performed by The Doors.
