Pittsburgh Steelers Select Pittsburgh Quarterback Kenny Pickett

Pittsburgh Steelers select Kenny Pickett 20th overall in the 2022 NFL draft to be their franchise quarterback of the future.

After the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger the Pittsburgh Steelers came into this offseason needing to identify a short-term and long-term solution at quarterback.

They identified the likely short-term solution when they signed Mitch Trubisky in free agency and now they draft who they hope to be the long-term solution in Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett.

The selection came as a slight surprise as Liberty’s Malik Willis was still on the board. Willis was someone who the Steelers were heavily linked to in the pre-draft process so many including myself expected him to be the selection if he was available.

Pickett was seen as a sure-fire first round pick and one of the most likely options for the Steelers throughout the pre-draft process so it’s not a bad pick by any means.

Kenny Pickett really raised some eyebrows last season shooting up draft boards as he had an outstanding season where he threw for 4,308 yards, 42 touchdowns, and seven interceptions over 13 games.

Pickett checks a lot of the boxes of what you want to see when looking for a potential franchise quarterback. He’s got a good arm as he’s capable of throws that not everyone can make, he’s accurate, and he’s a good athlete who can extend plays with his legs.

Concerns for Pickett and perhaps the reasons he wasn’t drafted higher are he was a bit of a late bloomer as it took him until his fifth year to be productive at Pittsburgh.  The other concern that has been discussed a lot recently is his hand size as he measured in with 8 1/2 inch hands.

At the end of the day, there’s nothing that he does that may be considered elite at by NFL standards however he is good at enough important things that he certainly can be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL for a long time.