Kaboly: Too Early To Give Up On Steelers 2022 First-Rounder Kenny Pickett After Just 17 Career Starts

The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off an inspiring victory over the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. Once again, the offense struggled throughout the contest, as the defense carried the team to victory. Amidst the offense's disappointing performance, quarterback Kenny Pickett didn't look great. While the offensive line can still be better, particularly center Mason Cole, Pickett bailed from the pocket far too often.

His pocket presence has been a concern through the first five weeks of the season now. Selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft just over 17 months ago, the Steelers need to find some answers over the next two months. They sit atop the AFC North with a 3-2 record, but it's necessary that they find out whether or not Pickett is a long-term answer. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic feels as if it's still too early to give up on the 2022 first-rounder.

"Pickett was playing without two offensive linemen, his starting tight end and his No. 1 receiver, while his No. 3 receiver got banged up in-game. Oh, and he had to deal with [Matt] Canada’s suspect play-calling at times. But Pickett has that 'it' factor. The bigger the situation, the better he performs," Kaboly said. "Pickett is going to be a very good quarterback in this league at some point. Patience is needed, sort of like the patience that was needed in ousting the Ravens on Sunday."

Kaboly doesn't dismiss the fact that Pickett hasn't been good in 2023, for the most part. This was the year in which he was expected to take a step forward, his first full season as the team's starting quarterback. That hasn't transpired, at least not yet, but the Steelers still somehow sit at 3-2. Out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks so far, Pro Football Focus has Pickett ranked 30th with a 57.0 overall grade.

We're still just 17 starts into the Kenny Pickett experience, but doubts have already began to creep in. He's still better than any other option on Pittsburgh's roster, no offense to veterans Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. After an injury in Week 4, it seemed likely that Pickett would miss some time. Trubisky threw three interceptions against the Ravens last season, so that would have been an obvious downgrade. 

Fortunately, Pickett recovered well throughout the week and was able to play in Week 5. Now he'll get two weeks to rest with the bye. If there's one encouraging sign from the sophomore quarterback, it would be his ability to turn things around at the end of games. Dating back to his rookie campaign, Pickett has been ultra-clutch with several game-winning drives.

He added another to his resume on Sunday, as he delivered a perfect 41-yard touchdown strike to George Pickens to put the team ahead. Now, he needs to translate it to early portions of these crucial contests. The upcoming draft class is loaded, particularly at the quarterback position. If the team decides Pickett isn't the guy for the future, this could be the draft in which they find their next guy.

Mock drafts have already had the Steelers taking a quarterback, although that pick will likely be in the early-20s or so. That's where they stand as of now, and that would put them out of the running for elite prospects like Drake Maye and Caleb Williams. Hopefully for fans, the Steelers will have this issue figured out by then. Kaboly thinks it's still too premature to give up on a guy like Pickett.

Should Steelers Be Looking At Quarterbacks Again?

That's mostly fair, especially when you consider the fact that Matt Canada is still calling plays. It was reported, by Kaboly, that Byron Leftwich has tried to return to Pittsburgh as an offensive consultant, but the team has refused. He would make a ton of sense as a replacement for Canada, but it seems like the team isn't interested. We'll see if the team moves on from him during the Week 6 bye, but it's unlikely. 

Do you still believe in Pickett as being the long-term guy at quarterback? If not, who would you want to see the Steelers pursue either in free agency or the 2023 NFL Draft? Would firing Canada during the bye week help Pickett? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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