All five of the consensus top quarterbacks in the NFL draft were still on the board when the Steelers were on the clock with the 20th pick. That meant the Steelers almost assuredly would take a quarterback given how much time and effort they put into scouting the position this offseason.
That’s why it wasn’t surprising when they picked Pitt star Kenny Pickett, as it has long since been rumored that either he or Liberty star Malik Willis was at the top of their list. Pickett obviously played at Heinz Field and practiced at the South Side facility on fields adjacent to the Steelers’, so Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin were very familiar with him and his ability.
That’s not why they drafted Pickett, though, as they have never been known to give players who play at Pitt an edge just because they share the same practice facility and stadium. Pickett climbed the draft boards of every team with a huge senior season at Pitt, so it wasn’t just the Steelers who had him on their wishlist.
No, Pickett was taken because he was the most “ready to play” quarterback of the guys who were available at the position. He was considered the most mature, the most physically ready, the most capable of reading NFL defenses and the most ready to step on to a field as a rookie. Pickett has a pro-style game, and he is a fiery competitor. A tough guy on the field and one of those overachievers who just seems to know how to win.
“[Pickett’s accuracy and ability to throw the deep ball] were very obvious and consistent when you watched the tape,” Tomlin said. “He is 24 years old. He is a mature young man. You do see maturity in his game. All those things put him in position to compete.”
Colbert added: “Kenny’s just a mature, even-keeled guy. He obviously had a great senior year, and it just talks and preaches what you can do if you stay [in school] and develop into a first-round pick. He’s special.”
Both used the word mature. And Tomlin, a little later, said Pickett will be given every opportunity to compete for the starting job, which, is what made him attractive to the Steelers. They wanted a guy who could, if he wins the job, handle the job this season. They got him.
The debate about whether or not this is going to be a great selection — whether Pickett is a great choice and whether he will be a star in the NFL — is for a different day. My thoughts are that time will tell. Pickett has a lot of great qualities and is a tireless worker, so if I am going to bet on it, I am going to bet on him and never against him. Pickett is a winner, and the Steelers are a winning organization. So it seems like a match made in heaven. But again, time will tell.
The larger issue is what this means for the Steelers quarterback position. There is no question in my mind that it means the end of the Mason Rudolph era is here, and it comes before it really even got started. I know what Colbert and company and said about the quarterback room and I understand why, but call me cynical. I am not buying a word of it.
“This is not to take anything away from Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky,” Colbert said. “We got three young quarterbacks. They’ll all be in it to see who becomes the starter. We have three good options.”
Yeah, sure.
You took the most “ready to play” and mature quarterback, not the one with the most upside or potential for growth. And you are going to let him rot away as the third-string quarterback behind two guys who are going nowhere?
Give me a break. Pickett was drafted because he is expected to be no worse than the backup quarterback this year. They aren’t going to use a first-round pick on him, then let him be the third-string quarterback. They are going to want him to get more reps than that. They are going to want him to be in position where if he doesn’t play this year, he is one heartbeat away and gets some opportunities to play as well.
They brought in Mitch Trubisky because they didn’t think Rudolph is good enough. They drafted Pickett because they don’t think Trubisky is a long-term player. And, by extension, they don’t think Rudolph is good enough.
Rudolph really never got a great opportunity to shine here, as injuries really hampered him in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger was hurt. He had one opportunity to prove his ability in 2022 against the Lions, and he didn’t distinguish himself. But even in that game, the weather was awful and the conditions were really bad, so I am not sure it was a fair assessment of him.
None of it matters now, though. The Steelers made it very clear in the offseason that his days were numbered by signing Trubisky, then put the finishing touches on his usefulness by drafting the most “ready to play” quarterback in Pickett.
Rudolph will either be traded for a low pick by the end of the weekend or cut at some point before the season. And then he will catch on somewhere else. He may or may not still become a starting quarterback, but given the events of Thursday, it won’t be with the Steelers.
Paul Zeise: pzeise@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @paulzeise.
First Published: April 29, 2022, 9:00 a.m.
Updated: April 29, 2022, 3:06 p.m.
