It’s rare that you’ll find us taking time to write about someone who isn’t on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maybe it is a potential trade or free agency target but more often than not we stick to the guys in the Black and Gold. In this particular case however, there’s an exception. Former first round draft pick Kenny Pickett was traded to his fourth team yesterday and many think that Pickett is the one who looks bad. I would argue that there is some truth to that, but I’d also suggest it’s just as bad for the team that drafted him.
How We Got Here
The Cleveland Browns sent the former first rounder to Las Vegas for a fifth round pick yesterday. The Browns had five QBs while the Raiders were dealing with depth issues. Pickett was the 20th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft and went on to start 24 games for the Steelers. He went 7-5 as a starter in both 2022 and 2023 and was eventually sent to the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the season.
Traded to Cleveland this past Offseason, he was mired in a QB battle of ‘epic proportions.’ Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel were also vying for roster spots while Deshaun Watson looked on while still injured. Pickett at one point seemed to have a roster spot locked up but then he suffered a hamstring injury and fell behind. Thus, he became expendable.
It isn’t common for a first round draft pick to have been on four different teams inside of four seasons yet here we are. If you are a “Pickettologist” or one of those folks on social media who believe Pickett was ‘wronged’ by the Steelers then I’m sure you’re busy today. It can’t feel good to have supported a guy you were sure was the next great Steelers’ QB only to see all of this unfold.
Pitt Regret?
In all fairness to Pickett, he should have never been drafted 20th overall. He was part of a below-average QB class and just happened to be sitting there when a QB desperate Steelers’ team was picking. He also had to deal with one of the worst coordinators in the NFL in Matt Canada who quite frankly should have never been running an offense. Let’s throw in the fact that the Steelers have for decades regretted passing on another former Pitt quarterback by the name of Dan Marino. Passing over another Panther would have been brutal had Pickett gone on to success elsewhere as Marino did.
Comparing the two QBs however stops at where they attended college. I don’t like comparing players from different eras simply because the game was so different then versus now. There’s no question however that Marino’s skills were vastly superior to those of Pickett in nearly every way. The only possible exception being mobility. Whether Kevin Colbert truly believed Pickett was the guy or not is something we probably won’t ever know. Certainly though, he was convinced enough to pull the trigger.
As was stated above, Mike Tomlin did Pickett no favors by having Matt Canada around, but Pickett’s overall arm strength and poor decision-making had nothing to do with who was calling the plays. Unfortunately, the Steelers decision to draft him in the first place looks worse now as Pickett heads to his fourth team. Their scouting department needs some real self-examination not just because of Pickett but also because only Calvin Austin III and Connor Heyward remain from that Draft class.
With the Steelers poised to be in the QB market again come April, they better get this right. Otherwise the franchise gets set back again while Pickett goes on wondering “what if” as he tries to find a place to call home.
