Kenny Pickett Drafted by Steelers: Pittsburgh's Updated Depth Chart After Round 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers hopes they have found their quarterback of the future after selecting Kenny Pickett with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday.

Here is the moment Pickett found out about the selection:

Pickett had a breakout season at the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. He was the program's first Heisman Trophy finalist since Larry Fitzgerald in 2003 after throwing for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns as a senior.

The New Jersey native is the first Panthers quarterback drafted to the NFL since Nathan Peterman in 2017. He is the highest-drafted quarterback from the school since Dan Marino went No. 27 overall in 1983.

Here is an updated look at the Steelers depth chart with the addition of Pickett:

      

QB: Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph

RB: Najee Harris, Benny Snell Jr., Anthony McFarland Jr., Trey Edmunds

FB: Derek Watt

WR: Diontae Johnson, Tyler Vaughns, Rico Bussey

WR: Chase Claypool, Cody White

SWR: Anthony Miller, Steven Sims, Gunner Olszewski

TE: Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Kevin Rader, Jace Sternberger

LT: Dan Moore Jr., Joe Haeg

LG: Kevin Dotson, John Leglue, Malcolm Pridgeon

C: Mason Cole, J.C. Hassenauer, Kendrick Green 

RG: James Daniels, Kendrick Green, Nate Gilliam

RT: Chukwuma Okorafor, Chaz Green

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

       

It's no secret that the 2022 quarterback class is seen as a step down from last year's group, which featured five players going in the first 15 picks.

It has also been hard to find a consensus on who the best signal-caller this year is, but Pickett certainly has the strongest resume of a group that includes Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, Liberty's Malik Willis and Ole Miss' Matt Corral.

Pickett ranked sixth in the nation in passing yards, fourth in touchdown passes and ninth in ESPN's QBR (81.2).

B/R's NFL draft scouting department has Pickett ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in this class, behind Ridder and Malik Willis, but he is the No. 62 overall player.

In his scouting report for B/R, Nate Tice compared Pickett's skill set to that of Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Tice's biggest objections to Pickett are inconsistencies with his timing on routes and "often going one-and-done with his reads."

Another topic of discussion leading up to the draft was the size of Pickett's hands. He didn't have them measured at the Senior Bowl in February and waited until the scouting combine to get an accurate measurement.

Having smaller hands isn't necessarily a detriment to success in the NFL with a bigger football. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's hands were in the eighth percentile of all players when he was coming out in the 2020 NFL draft.

Pickett turns 24 on June 6, making him an older rookie when he suits up this season.

As long as Pickett's skill set and development go as expected, the Steelers won't have an issue with his age. He showed tremendous growth as a senior in college, so the potential for even more is there as he works with professional coaching.

The Steelers found themselves in a precarious position coming into the draft. Mitchell Trubisky was given a two-year contract in free agency presumably to replace Ben Roethlisberger as the starting quarterback.

Trubisky's career stat line isn't bad for a team that just wants stability at quarterback. He averaged 2,652 passing yards, 264 rushing yards and threw 16 touchdowns per season (51 games) with the Chicago Bears from 2017-20.

Nothing from Trubisky's actual performance indicates he's capable of lifting a team up. Pittsburgh was a playoff team in 2021, despite Roethlisberger's limitations as a player. 

Bringing in Pickett at least gives head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Matt Canada another option to evaluate as they decide who is going to be the starting quarterback in 2022. 

Pickett is the most NFL-ready quarterback in this year's draft class. He could step in as the starter this season, if needed. But this pick is also a play for 2023 and beyond for a Steelers team that maintains a consistent level of play regardless of how good their quarterback is.