The Pittsburgh Steelers were patient in the 2022 draft. They flirted with quarterbacks like Malik Willis and quietly waited on draft night for Pickett to fall into their laps at pick 20. It worked out for the black and gold, they got Kenny Pickett and for better or worse the job is his for the foreseeable future. They have a quarterback on a rookie deal, and he appears to have magic in his right arm.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Kenny Pickett fires downfield against the New Orleans Saints
The 2023 quarterback class is expected to produce four quarterbacks who will be drafted in the first round. The number one Pickett supporter on the planet, Andrew Fillipponi, and his partner Chris Mueller waxed poetic Tuesday afternoon on The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on where they thought the Steelers rookie would have gone in the upcoming draft.
“I don’t think any of the quarterbacks who are going to get picked ahead of where Kenny went at 20,” Fillipponi observed. “I don’t think any of them definitively are going to be better than him. Not one, and I’m convinced (Will) Levis is going to be worse.”
Mueller stepped in to play devil’s advocate after the assertion. He is more pragmatic than his hyperbolic partner and challenged the assertion by asking Fillipponi to rate the other three quarterbacks in order of who could be better than Pickett.
“This is going to surprise you, (Anthony) Richardson,” Fillipponi shot back. “I’d go Richardson, (Bryce) Young, (CJ) Stroud. He’s only played 13 games, so I am just completely throwing a dart when I say that.”
Anthony Richardson tested off the charts at the combine and his physical gifts are impressive. Prognosticators have speculated that he could leap to the number one quarterback taken in April, but it is definitely buyer beware. If Richardson goes to the right situation and has a chance to sit and learn the NFL game, he could be special. However, if the Houston Texans tap him first overall, he will be thrown in like Josh Allen to sink or swim.
“Young is just too damn small man, he makes Johnny Manziel look like Big Ben,” Fillipponi continued. “If he were a little bit bigger I’d say I have to eat this one, he’s going to be the number one pick, Bryce Young will have a hell of an NFL career, I can’t say that with any certainty.”
Bryce Young heads into the NFL with a Heisman Trophy and a ton of talent. His height is an issue, but it is his weight that concerns scouts. After the repeated concussions his predecessor at Alabama Tua Tagovailoa suffered this season, his stature and durability are in doubt. What is not in doubt is his ability to throw the football, if he were just one inch taller and 15 lbs heavier, Young would be the consensus number-one pick.
“You have to put Stroud in a system where he is getting protected,” Mueller finished the assessment. “Here is a team that if they drafted CJ Stroud and they won’t obviously. They said they are not drafting a quarterback. If a team like the Lions with that offensive line and some of those weapons in place, where he could just drop back and throw the ball under a dome, I think he would come out of the chute.”
Photo Credit John McGonigal / Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Steelers pick Kenny Pickett
Pickett would clearly still be in the mix this season in the first round and Young would still be the most decorated quarterback if they were all coming out. Richardson’s combine performance might put him ahead of him depending on who was selected before the Steelers but his mobility and moxie would put him ahead of CJ Stroud and Will Levis from Kentucky.
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There is no clear superstar quarterback in the 2023 draft. The selection of Pickett when many were underrating last season’s class of signal callers makes the preemptive selection of the number one option last year look like the Steelers stole a franchise quarterback. Pittsburgh put itself in a position to return to the top in a rapidly changing AFC North.
What do you think Steeler Nation? After watching the combine, did the Steelers set themselves up for long-term success by pulling the trigger on Pickett? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
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