Round 1 pick: Kenny Pickett

[bradshaw2ben]

Best thing about this pick is it wasn't Malik Willis.

100%

At least Willis has a teensy bit of upside.

[Ice]

Probably the thing that gets me most about this pick is that, as an alum with a wholly Panther side of the family, I really enjoyed almost every minute of the great, unlikely season Pitt had last year, and Kenny was a really great college QB making a lot of that happen. I wanted to have those memories in my back pocket as he went on somewhere else in the NFL and I could keep that fun season compartmentalized. Now, I fear it's going to get torn down and ruined if he stinks it up for the Steelers. Oh, well.

Jordan Addison in r1 2023. Hail to Pitt.

[bradshaw2ben]

So tiny hands aside, does this kid at least have an NFL arm?

“Lacks arm talent” “scrappy” “heart” “A+ intangibles”

Those are all from Bucky Brooks this AM

[bradshaw2ben]

I don’t love he pick, but thank fricking god they didn’t take Willis

This is worse. Somehow they managed a worse choice, and resisted a trade down, despite no one behind them needing a QB in the slightest and KC wanting to trade up.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Best thing about this pick is it wasn't Malik Willis.

100%

At least Willis has a teensy bit of upside.

[SteelerDayTrader]

I don’t love he pick, but thank fricking god they didn’t take Willis

This is worse. Somehow they managed a worse choice, and resisted a trade down, despite no one behind them needing a QB in the slightest and KC wanting to trade up.

[bradshaw2ben]

We’ve somehow gone from having a QB with elite arm talent to having three QBs with mediocre arm talent.

[Ice]

Well, we survived trading up for Devin F. Bush...

[Steel Ubaldo]

The bewailing, lamenting and gnashing of teeth on here is exquisite. The Steelers told EVERYONE they were drafting a QB. All of the draftniks just need to listen to them. The Steelers of the Tombert era do not do “smokescreens”. It wasn’t going to be any other position besides QB. Saying the guy they loved got picked the Steelers selected is bullshit. They were picking a QB. They kept saying it.

Also The Steelers of the Tombert era don’t trade down. All of these masturbatory fantasies of trading back and acquiring up multiple picks NEVER happen under Tombert. Good news for the draft heads is that the Tombert era is over so keep hoping next years is the year the Steelers finally move back in the draft.

I am so happy they didn’t trade up. I thought they might. I think Pickett is better than Willis. I’m happy they picked him over Willis. Ultimately Only time will tell. . I am curious as hell to see how this plays out. Life after Ben begins ! Here We Go!

[bradshaw2ben]

We didn’t really survive trading up for Bush. Not really. It hurt. Big time.

The last 4 1st rounders—geesh

They obviously felt the need to build around high-character guys, but they then overdrafted 4 in a row. Intangibles are awesome but sometimes you have to add top talent, especially to a team with lots of #2s and #3s starting for it. They’re missing superstars, especially on the offensive side.

Pickett will likely do a good job of taking what the defense gives him, what the coach wants him to do, will scramble a little. I expect him to be like a backup QB starting for you. Might work for some games/for a while, but teams will figure him out and he’ll plummet because he doesn’t have elite talent to fall back on. If you have elite talent you can take your lumps and learn the game to get better. If your knowledge of the game is already high for a college player, there’s less room to improve.

If you want to make yourself crazy in 3-4 years, think about who the Steelers might have selected with those 4 1sts, the picks they gave up in the trade for Bush, and the QBs/LBs/Ss they didn’t take in the years following. A nightmare of bad drafting will eventually bite them when they don’t have a stud QB or the best defensive player this side of Aaron Donald to make everything work out in the end.

For all the criticism of trading a 1st for Minkah, it’s the best use of a 1st in 5 years. They’ve had basically 3 quality 1st round picks in 10 years, unless Najee Harris becomes LaDanian Tomlinson and Pickett becomes a top 5 QB.

[JackLambert58]

Bust

Roger that
Love the kid and hope the best for him and the Steelers
But I don’t see it
who knows maybe he excels at the 1-3 yard range passes we love.

Yep, rooting for him now. Just like I root for Tomlin every year to smarten up. There's really no choice in the matter.

[Charles Demarr]

Pickett Pro Comparisons:

Kirk Cousins (Matt Miller)
Andy Dalton (Lance Zierlein)
Matt Hassleback (Daniel Jeremiah)
Derek Carr (Mel Kiper Jr / Charlie Campbell)

Charlie Campbell is an absolute clown show and Kiper is trash. There goes the best comp.

[jebrick]

So tiny hands aside, does this kid at least have an NFL arm?

“Lacks arm talent” “scrappy” “heart” “A+ intangibles”

Those are all from Bucky Brooks this AM

Best comparison: Andy Dalton. And that is his ceiling.

[Mick]

So tiny hands aside, does this kid at least have an NFL arm?

“Lacks arm talent” “scrappy” “heart” “A+ intangibles”

Those are all from Bucky Brooks this AM

Best comparison: Andy Dalton. And that is his ceiling.

Pickett’s ceiling is higher than Tom Brady’s ceiling was viewed coming out. Using the term ‘ceiling’ with QBs doesn’t really make sense.

[Ice]

We didn’t really survive trading up for Bush. Not really. It hurt. Big time.

The last 4 1st rounders—geesh

They obviously felt the need to build around high-character guys, but they then overdrafted 4 in a row. Intangibles are awesome but sometimes you have to add top talent, especially to a team with lots of #2s and #3s starting for it. They’re missing superstars, especially on the offensive side.

Pickett will likely do a good job of taking what the defense gives him, what the coach wants him to do, will scramble a little. I expect him to be like a backup QB starting for you. Might work for some games/for a while, but teams will figure him out and he’ll plummet because he doesn’t have elite talent to fall back on. If you have elite talent you can take your lumps and learn the game to get better. If your knowledge of the game is already high for a college player, there’s less room to improve.

If you want to make yourself crazy in 3-4 years, think about who the Steelers might have selected with those 4 1sts, the picks they gave up in the trade for Bush, and the QBs/LBs/Ss they didn’t take in the years following. A nightmare of bad drafting will eventually bite them when they don’t have a stud QB or the best defensive player this side of Aaron Donald to make everything work out in the end.

For all the criticism of trading a 1st for Minkah, it’s the best use of a 1st in 5 years. They’ve had basically 3 quality 1st round picks in 10 years, unless Najee Harris becomes LaDanian Tomlinson and Pickett becomes a top 5 QB.

I'm really just scraping the bottom of the barrel for some positives/any possible glass half fullness at this point. For everything you mentioned, and what I mentioned earlier about badly wanting to leave last Pitt season in its own happy little box going forward, this pick was a serious double gut-punch last night.

[Mick]

Is anyone criticizing the use of a 1st for Minkah?

Our last 5 firsts went to:
DPOY
All pro defensive player
Pro bowl rookie behind no oline
4 year starter who has improved every year
Injury derailed apparent bust (was rookie DPOY finalist). I didn’t like the pick, but the board was crap where we would have been picking if we hadn’t traded up.

Colbert has spent two 1sts in his career on QB, and the one where we know how it worked out is headed to Canton.

[yygy]

So we got to see who their favorite qb was. Bit of gamesmanship too. Nearly 100% of the football world but on the Willis thing.

Any rate Pickett may challenge trubisky. This is a real competition upcoming.

I like the it. Excited to see what he brings

[Steeldrama]

Usually when I watch the draft I do it with the HOPE a player l want falls to the Steelers.

In 2004, after the Eli/Rivers trade, Suwanee88 and I sat in his Steelers’ mancave hanging on every pick HOPING Ben Roethlisberger would fall to the Steelers.
YES!!! BiG FREAKIN BEN!!!
Such an enjoyable approach to watching the draft especially since the Steelers got our man.

Sometimes the HOPING a player falls doesn’t have such a great outcome.
In 2002, I held my breath on every pick HOPING Ed Reed would fall to the Steelers.
Dammit
Skunked by the Ravens

So last night the draft for me started with Carolina at pick 6.
“Ok Rhule spurn those OT’s for your boy Kenny P!”
Dammit
Ickey a solid pick

So at pick 8 my transplant hometown Falcons could use a qb.
Malik Willis an Atlanta kid.
For the love of Home Depot please take him.
Dammit
A wide receiver (Shit-off stupid)

Saints traded up!
Y’all can’t go marching in with Jameis!
Dammit
Another freakin WR

So on it went instead of HOPING a couple players I liked fell to the Steelers, I instead HOPED a team would take a couple players I didn’t like.

Pick 20 painfully arrives with the whole league knowing this is a shitty qb class.
Tombert has their pick of a subpar litter.
Only remote drama left was which of the subpar qbs would they take
Dammit
Kenny Freakin Pickett

I’ve been watching the draft since 1987 and that’s the first time I ever had that mindset watching a draft.
IT absolutely SUCKED to think that way.

What will my thinking be like during next year’s draft when team after team grabs a young, stud gunslinger I want knowing full well the Steelers are all in on Kenny freakin Pickett?

All I can do now is HOPE Kenny pleasantly surprises me.

Go Kenny!
Go Steelers!

[Deebo]

#1 not Willis
#2 backup QB is the second most important position on the team
#3 Bibberty is obviously gone
#4 if he's a success somewhere else and Marino the Sequel we are suicidal

Down a pint, maytes, and cheer the fuck up

#5 his fiancée is hot! See Moneyball movie for baseball data about hot girlfriends and playing ability. See Ben R. for reasons to have a fiancée early on.
#6 his fiancée has Paterno in her last name…what says Pennsylvania football more than Pitt and Paterno?
#7 KP Duty doesn’t need to learn a new city…think of the extra bandwidth he will have for the playbook!
#8 KP might now have a big chip on his shoulder dropping to 20!

I loved how her dress was so short she had to pull it down a bit lol

[jewelsongs]

I like the pick, but I don't underestimate Trubisky.

[Ice]

Usually when I watch the draft I do it with the HOPE a player l want falls to the Steelers.

In 2004, after the Eli/Rivers trade, Suwanee88 and I sat in his Steelers’ mancave hanging on every pick HOPING Ben Roethlisberger would fall to the Steelers.
YES!!! BiG FREAKIN BEN!!!
Such an enjoyable approach to watching the draft especially since the Steelers got our man.

Sometimes the HOPING a player falls doesn’t have such a great outcome.
In 2002, I held my breath on every pick HOPING Ed Reed would fall to the Steelers.
Dammit
Skunked by the Ravens

So last night the draft for me started with Carolina at pick 6.
“Ok Rhule spurn those OT’s for your boy Kenny P!”
Dammit
Ickey a solid pick

So at pick 8 my transplant hometown Falcons could use a qb.
Malik Willis an Atlanta kid.
For the love of Home Depot please take him.
Dammit
A wide receiver (Shit-off stupid)

Saints traded up!
Y’all can’t go marching in with Jameis!
Dammit
Another freakin WR

So on it went instead of HOPING a couple players I liked fell to the Steelers, I instead HOPED a team would take a couple players I didn’t like.

Pick 20 painfully arrives with the whole league knowing this is a shitty qb class.
Tombert has their pick of a subpar litter.
Only remote drama left was which of the subpar qbs would they take
Dammit
Kenny Freakin Pickett

I’ve been watching the draft since 1987 and that’s the first time I ever had that mindset watching a draft.
IT absolutely SUCKED to think that way.

What will my thinking be like during next year’s draft when team after team grabs a young, stud gunslinger I want knowing full well the Steelers are all in on Kenny freakin Pickett?

All I can do now is HOPE Kenny pleasantly surprises me.

Go Kenny!
Go Steelers!

This sums up my experience exactly, and because of work at 6 AM, I couldn't self-medicate during and after. I plan on making up for that as soon as it becomes socially acceptable this afternoon. Should be a fun draft chat tonight.

[Pabst]

Meanwhile ravens get Hamilton and lindenbaugh

Congrats to Baltimore for getting a slow AF defensive back and a C that's smaller than Kendrick Green.

[franco32]

I think Scunge is right. I wasn't a fan of QB early in this draft. I wanted to go 2nd round or later to limit the investment, but our core D superstars aren't getting any younger. Clearly KC and Tomlin wanted a QB who was ready to compete Day 1.

They punched a lottery ticket. Maybe Kenny is an Andy Dalton or a Cousins. But, if he's more than that, we could reap the benefits in a big way. Superbowls are still mostly being won by accurate QBs who spread the ball and process information quickly. It's a nice plus that Kenny has good size and is very mobile.

Let's see what he can do before we jump off the bridge.

[franco32]

Meanwhile ravens get Hamilton and lindenbaugh

Congrats to Baltimore for getting a slow AF defensive back and a C that's smaller than Kendrick Green.

This is funny but true. I never understood the Hamilton crushes. He's great at diagnosing and anticipating, but he can be exposed by speed in space.

[Pabst]

Meanwhile ravens get Hamilton and lindenbaugh

Congrats to Baltimore for getting a slow AF defensive back and a C that's smaller than Kendrick Green.

This is funny but true. I never understood the Hamilton crushes. He's great at diagnosing and anticipating, but he can be exposed by speed in space.

There's so much negativity around here regarding PIckett. I'm just returning the favor

[Professor Half Wit]

Meanwhile ravens get Hamilton and lindenbaugh

Congrats to Baltimore for getting a slow AF defensive back and a C that's smaller than Kendrick Green.

This is funny but true. I never understood the Hamilton crushes. He's great at diagnosing and anticipating, but he can be exposed by speed in space.

So he'll be a Steelers killer. Great.

[Stosh-67]

I guess good story.
Did not want them taking a QB this year. Need to build the trenches... not sexy picks, but defense lineman and OL with 3 of first 4 picks would have been my wish. OL was brutal and lacking pedigree, DL was injured and aging. You win in the trenches.

Plus, we are not competing for a SB anytime soon, and borderline playoff team.

Next year's QB class supposedly much better.... When was last draft 1st QB drafted was not till 20th.

Was driving during the Steelers pick....so
On phone with my son leading up to the Steelers pick, spoke of trading down to add picks to a team that needs more picks in this draft. More darts thrown at the wall means more chances on hitting picks in essense...a crap shoot. While waiting for Saints to pick.....We went thru the teams and QBs after the Steelers pick.

Looked at teams picking after Steelers....basically playoff teams with top QB's, established starters, who would not be picking QB.
21 New England ( Mac Jones ) traded to KC ( Mahomes )
22. Raiders ( Carr ) traded to Packers ( Rogers )
23. Arizona ( Murray ) traded to Bills ( Allen )
24. Cowboys ( Dak )
25. Bills ( Allen ) traded to Ravens ( Lamar )
26. Jets ( Wilson ) too soon to take another 1st rnd QB
27. Jags ( Lawrence )
28. Packers ( Rogers ) thought they would have gone with the Ga. WR.....with 1 of these 1st rounders
29. New England ( Mac )
30. KC ( Mahomes )
31. Cincy ( Buttow )

There were plenty of teams looking to move up in the draft, 6 of next 8 picks were traded....and multiple team trades ( 8 total trades in picks 22-29)

Hence, trade down 4-5 picks, and add a 2nd pick for the trade down. Trade down 10-12 picks and maybe pick up a 2nd and a 3rd...or two 2nds, one this year, one next year.

Plus trading back, with no teams looking at QB....probably meant, all the top QBs would still be available. As it turns out, NO other QBs were drafted in 1st.

We do. What we do. Steelers never trade down to add picks. Almost, always, never.
We draft nice stories.
We draft familiarity. We are comfortable with it. We embrace it. We will save on moving costs.

1st round picks need to be 7-9 year starters, pro bowl level talent.... with high end wishes of HOF talent. Can't miss. Steelers have missed in their 1st rounders more than hitting last 6 years and that has caught up to them.
Harris
Bush - bust?
Edmunds - Avg / below avg.
Watt HOF
Burns - Bust
Dupree - took 4 years....got 1.5 years out of him
Shaz
Jarvis - Bust

Two outstanding players.

Anyway,
And that is all I have to say about that.

Go Kenny P.
Go Steelers.

Day 2 - DL, ILB, OL, WR,

[Stosh-67]

Meanwhile ravens get Hamilton and lindenbaugh

Congrats to Baltimore for getting a slow AF defensive back and a C that's smaller than Kendrick Green.

I see it the same way.............
I hope to see it that way.

[Stosh-67]

I think Scunge is right. I wasn't a fan of QB early in this draft. I wanted to go 2nd round or later to limit the investment, but our core D superstars aren't getting any younger. Clearly KC and Tomlin wanted a QB who was ready to compete Day 1.

They punched a lottery ticket. Maybe Kenny is an Andy Dalton or a Cousins. But, if he's more than that, we could reap the benefits in a big way. Superbowls are still mostly being won by accurate QBs who spread the ball and process information quickly. It's a nice plus that Kenny has good size and is very mobile.

Let's see what he can do before we jump off the bridge.

Yup.
and lets hope that extra seasoning made him ready to do just that.

Someone posted a youtube video of his workout at Pitt.
I believe he tosses a ball over 60 yards and it seemed like he did it with little effort.

https://youtu.be/RN5u9RcCxPs

[franco32]

I don't see an issue with arm strength at all. A couple of those throws were over 60 yards with ease. The deep outs had nice velocity too.