The Pittsburgh Steelers selected the first quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft with the 20th pick overall. Steelers fans who watched the Baltimore Ravens fall to the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-27 on Sunday may have seen a glimpse of Kenny Pickett’s possible future. Trevor Lawrence, who was selected first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, led a furious fourth quarterback comeback and played his best game as a professional.
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Last season, Lawrence had the misfortune of playing for the disaster that was the Urban Meyer regime. He flashed occasionally, but after one season, the whispers in NFL circles began. Maybe he wasn’t the generational talent that everyone thought he was, and the dreaded 'bust' word was even thrown out by a few pundits. He had a lot to prove in 2022 and Lawrence has shown significant progress this season. At 4-7, the Jaguars are better than their record.
Lawrence won the job outright in training camp in his rookie season, but Pickett remained on the sideline until halftime of the fourth regular season game. The difference may have been the quality of the competition in front of him with Mitch Trubisky standing in his way; or just the fact that he was still around at 20 when the Steelers picked for a reason. Either way, they both got off to rocky starts as rookies.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Lawrence lost his first five games as a starter and Pickett got a win in his third game, but he was injured halfway through and didn’t finish a start with a win until his fifth game. The Jaguars quarterback finished his rookie year with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He also rushed for 2 touchdowns. Coming out of college, they were both considered as gifted, but reluctant running quarterbacks. Pickett has thrown 3 touchdowns to 8 interceptions and has rushed for 3 touchdowns during his rookie campaign.
The Jaguars coaching during Lawrence's rookie year was roasted as maybe the worst regime in NFL history under Meyer. Lawrence got the benefit of the doubt in some circles when Doug Pederson was brought in to get the young quarterback on track. If you have watched it closely, he has delivered. The Jaguars have lost close games, but the quarterback has played very well. The AFC South should belong to the River City in the very near future because he is the best quarterback in the division.
The Steelers current offensive coordinator, Matt Canada is a buffoon and Mike Tomlin is allowing him to stunt the development of Pickett. The offense does not take advantage of Pickett’s natural strengths and when he shines, it is simply because he does have talent. The schemes he has to perform in are meant for the college game where linemen can drift two to three yards down the field with no penalty. In the NFL, if they go one yard from the line on a pass play, the referees notice and the Steelers have been buried under an avalanche of illegal player downfield penalties. Canada has not learned the NFL rules after nearly two seasons or he refuses to change.
When he left Clemson, everyone thought Lawrence was a can’t miss prospect and in his second season after overcoming poor coaching, he is proving that to be true. Pickett was considered the best signal-caller in a very weak quarterback draft and his only great moments during his rookie season have been in spite of, not because of coaching, much like last year's first quarterback off the board.
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 27, 2015: Team owner Art Rooney II of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks out of the tunnel prior to a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 27, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by: 2015 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Shad Khan did not want to fire Meyer, but he could not ignore the stink of a coach in way over his head, who thought a long-term contract would keep him secure. It didn’t in Jacksonville. Mike Tomlin is operating under the same basic premise as Meyer. The only difference is he does have some NFL success to fall back on. He also has an impressive streak of mediocrity to hang his hat on that keeps him protected by pundits who watch Pittsburgh through highlights. It would take real stones for Art Rooney II to pull the trigger on Tomlin, but for the sake of Kenny Pickett, he should.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Did you watch Trevor Lawrence on Sunday and think what if Kenny Pickett takes a step like that? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
