Staying in Pittsburgh

The Steelers selected Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 20th overall.

The Steelers made Pickett the first quarterback selected, setting him up for a competition against free agent pickup Mitchell Trubisky. Pickett was basically disregarded as an NFL prospect his first four years at Pittsburgh, but in his fifth year he underwent a transformation perhaps never before seen at quarterback, going from plainly bad to about as good as anyone, throwing for 4,319 yards (67.2 percent completed, 8.7 YPA) and 42 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. He'll be a dual threat at the NFL level, too, after consistently posting standout rushing totals in college. Pickett's hands are small by quarterback standards and he had trouble with fumbles in the past, so that concern will linger even if he wears gloves. It would be somewhat discouraging if he can't beat Trubisky for the starting role.