They say hindsight is 20/20, and it’s unfair to judge people for their mistakes when you didn’t walk in their shoes. That’s valid. However, there are situations where the red flags are clearly visible, and there are some potential pitfalls that should be avoided. That seems to be the case with sports’ most high-profile position in the 2022 NFL Draft. Could it be the worst QB class of all-time? It’s certainly in the discussion.
Now, this isn’t an exact science, and the full story of this class hasn’t yet been written (see Geno Smith as an example of a QB in a different draft who was a late bloomer), but let’s look at where things stand.
Most teams saw that the class lacked talent and avoided the position early in the draft. One chose to take a swing…and missed like Jack Suwinski. The Pittsburgh Steelers were looking to find their next franchise QB to replace Ben Roethlisberger. As fate would have it, their search began when the draft class at the position was widely considered to be less than spectacular.
To put it mildly.
Of course, Pickett was the only QB drafted in the first round in 2022. And many wonder how long Pickett would have stayed on the board had the Steelers not selected him with the 20th overall pick. Some speculate (with hindsight) that he may have lasted into the third round. That is where the next three QBs in the class were selected.
Brock Purdy lasted until the last pick of the draft. Yet “Mr. Irrelevant” is singlehandedly keeping that group relevant, making it to the Super Bowl in his second season. The rest of the class? Let’s just say things haven’t worked out as planned.
Here is a look at the group. Skip ahead if you have a weak stomach.
| QB | Draft Position/Team | Games played/Started | Wins-Losses | Where are they now?/How many teams have they played for? |
| *Kenny Pickett | 1:20 Steelers | 30/25 | 15-12 | Raiders (fourth team) |
| Desmond Ridder | 3:74 Falcons | 25/18 | 8-10 | Free Agent (has played on four teams) |
| Malik Willis | 3:86 Titans | 18/5 | 3-2 | Green Bay (second team) |
| Matt Corral | 3:94 Panthers | N/A | N/A | Birmingham Stallions (was on three NFL teams) |
| Bailey Zappe | 4:137 Patriots | 15/9 | 4-5 | Browns practice squad (third team) |
| Sam Howell | 5:144 Commanders | 20/18 | 5-13 | Eagles (fourth team) |
| *Chris Oladokun | 7:241 Steelers | 1/0 | N/A | Chiefs practice squad (second team) |
| *Skylar Thompson | 7:247 Dolphins | 10/3 | 1-2 | Steelers (second team) |
| Brock Purdy | 7:262 49ers | 46/42 | 27-15 | 49ers (only team) |
*Current or former Steeler
The list will make the most hardened NFL fan squeamish. These nine players have played on 25 teams combined and haven’t begun their fourth season yet.
Even more disturbing for Steelers faithful is that Pittsburgh didn’t just pick from this rotten apple barrel once — it went back two more times. Three of the QBs in this draft class are, or were, on the Steelers’ roster at some point.
General Manager Kevin Colbert, in the last year of his Pittsburgh tenure, also selected Chris Oladokun out of South Dakota State in the seventh round of the draft. And this season, the Steelers brought in Skylar Thompson as QB depth. Needless to say, they are still looking for their next franchise signal caller.
Looking back, 2022 was the worst possible timing to be in need of a superstar to run your offense for the foreseeable future.
Reaching for Pickett really feels like it set the franchise back a few years. Even then, it felt like there was no solid plan in place for the post-Roethlisberger transition. Perhaps the Steelers allowed Big Ben to dictate things too much. Maybe they should have brought in his replacement a few years earlier while Roethlisberger was still slinging it, but you knew the end was near. Perhaps they should have seen that the 2022 class was thin and gone a different direction with the 20th pick and waited until there were better options.
Again, hindsight is 20/20.
Yet here the Steelers are in 2025. They have tried to find placeholders at QB in Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and now Aaron Rodgers. But they are still on the hunt for that next superstar who will lead the franchise back to the promised land.
However, this time, you can see the plan developing more clearly. The Steelers have been stockpiling draft picks, and next year’s QB class is widely considered a strong one. Many draft experts feel that up to six QBs could be taken in the first round alone. No matter what pick the Steelers end up with, they should be able to target a quality quarterback the organization and fan base can get excited about.
Feels like a much better idea than trying to find a Rolls-Royce at a junkyard.
For fun, here are some other QB draft classes in the discussion for worst of all time. Let me know your pick for worst of all time in the comments.
2002: David Carr, Joey Harrington, Patrick Ramsey, Josh McCown, David Garrard
2007: JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, Kevin Kolb, John Beck, Drew Stanton
2010: Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, Mike Kafka
2013: EJ Manuel, Geno Smith, Mike Glennon, Matt Barkley, Landry Jones
