The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that rarely gets confused during the NFL Draft. The NFL 2022 draft was no different. When Steelers’ choice went to number 20, they lost little time to make their choice.
University of Pittsburgh, QB, Kenny Pickett.
Immediately after the election, a wave effect took place throughout Steelers’ organization. Some will benefit from the choice, while others will be on the losing side in the selection.
This is where the winners and losers column comes into play. I am reviewing who could be labeled as ‘winners’ after the picket and those who could be labeled as ‘losers’.
Let’s deal with this …
Winners
Kenny Pickett Why: The fact that Pickett has stayed close to where he has called home for the past five years is a positive. The fact that he was the only quarterback taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft should make former Pete Panther ride high. Pickett will stay where he is comfortable, but now is the time when the tension really starts for the Heisman finalist. However, each player selected in the first round is the automatic winner at that moment.
Matt Canada Why: I think it’s safe to say that the Steelers have given Canada every opportunity to carry out its attack and be successful. Additions along the lines of the offensive in the free agency, the choice of Najee Harris in the draft of 2021 and now Pickett is the best choice in 2022 man who puts players in the right place to succeed. Still, Canada should be excited that Pickett will be his future quarterback in his scheme.
Dionte Johnson Why: During Round 1 of the draft, BTSC staff watched the selection process together through Zoom, and after Pickett was selected, Jeffrey Benedict said that this choice really benefits Dionte Johnson. He said a quarterback like Malik Willis would not be the best bet for Johnson, but Pickett could provide the broad receiver with a quarterback who is both willing and able to pump up his football, as Ben Rothlisberger has long done.
Kevin Colbert Why: This is Colbert’s last departure with Steelers as Active General Manager (GM) and he fell with a big swing. Did he make a home run? Did you swing and miss? We may not know for a while, but he certainly fell, swinging. I honor him. He wanted to leave Mike Tomlin and the next GM with the next quarterback.
Mock Drafters Why: Just like last year, Pickett has been mocked by the Steelers for most of the off-season and it’s always nice to see these crazy scammers get the right choice or two from time to time. I decided to throw them a bone.
Losers
Mitch Trumpets Why: So put yourself in the place of Mitch Trumpets for a minute. You were introduced to the first possible day of a free agency and you think you have a new life as a quarterback for the Steelers. Scroll forward a month or so later, and now the team you thought you would lead in the foreseeable future has just made a choice in the first quarterback quarterback. It’s not perfect, and you have to wonder if Trubyski doesn’t see every time he enters Pittsburgh as anything more than a test for another future team at this point in his career.
Mason Rudolph Why: Last year, the Steelers signed a one-year extension with Rudolph as an insurance policy. Rudolph wisely accepted the deal, but probably never thought he would potentially drop to QB3 in the depth chart. This does not mean that Rudolph cannot win a quarterback race, but at the same time he is facing a tough battle. Fans are wondering if the Steelers will hang Rudolph through trading, and this seems far too much with just three quarterbacks in the current depth chart.
Malik Willis Why: It is assumed that Willis will go somewhere in the Top 10 to choose No. 32, but no one expected Willis to be without a team after Day 1. Willis is a dynamic player, but also a project. The Steelers could have taken Willis if they liked him, but they took Pickett with the “higher floor,” as Colbert said at his post-draft press conference.
For a more in-depth breakdown of winners and losers, check out our “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below:
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