The Pittsburgh Steelers are nonetheless looking for their long-term reply at quarterback, driving a seemingly unending carousel of stopgaps and failed draft picks that has been spinning for the reason that retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.
One of many first quarterbacks who was alleged to fill that void was 2022 first-round decide Kenny Pickett, who additionally occurred to be the final first-round decide that former common supervisor Kevin Colbert made earlier than retiring that 12 months.
Regardless that Pickett by no means efficiently developed right into a long-term reply in Pittsburgh, and was then traded after simply two years by the brand new GM (Omar Khan), Colbert is sticking by his choice and nonetheless defending the decide of Pickett.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers common supervisor Kevin Colbert defends Kenny Pickett draft decide
Throughout an look on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan (h/t SI.com) this week, Colbert stated the Steelers chosen Pickett to be a profitable quarterback, and he pointed to his 14-10 document as a starter as proof that he was residing as much as expectations and trending in the suitable course.
He added:
“Kenny’s an excellent younger man. He is an excellent competitor… And I nonetheless assume at a younger age, I nonetheless assume Kenny can proceed to construct on what he did with us in these first two seasons.”
It is an excessively optimistic view, and one that you simply may anticipate from the final supervisor who really made the choice. No one likes to confess after they obtained a giant choice like that fallacious.
Additionally it is true that the Steelers did, in reality, have a profitable document with Pickett as their starter. However Pickett was extra of a caretaker for the offense than any form of a difference-maker, persistently being requested to not make any main errors as a substitute of making an attempt to make massive performs. Many of the Steelers’ wins with Pickett had been ugly, low-scoring video games the place the protection dominated and the crew received the turnover battle with a low-risk, low-scoring offense that by no means tried to do an excessive amount of.
It received some regular-season video games.
It was by no means a recipe for Tremendous Bowl competition or sustained long-term success.
Colbert had a Corridor of Fame-worthy profession working the Steelers for greater than 20 years, constructing three groups that went to the Tremendous Bowl and two that received it. However a few of his later draft courses produced extra misses than hits, and the Pickett one was on the prime of that checklist. It was an ideal storm of circumstances that noticed the Steelers needing a quarterback, a weak quarterback class and possibly just a little little bit of desperation all assembly at one level.
Since Pickett, the Steelers have additionally gone via veterans Russell Wilson and now Aaron Rodgers, whereas additionally taking developmental mid-round draft picks like Will Howard and Drew Allar.
It’s as much as new head coach Mike McCarthy to develop certainly one of them. Or a minimum of attempt to develop certainly one of them.
