Kenny Pickett Is The First QB Off The Board In The 2022 Draft And Will Stay In Pittsburgh

One of the big talking points surrounding the 2022 NFL Draft was the relatively weak quarterback class. There wasn’t a clear-cut No. 1 signal caller, nor was there a guy who was pegged to go anywhere near the top pick. In fact, it took 20 picks for Roger Goodell to step to his podium and Las Vegas and read off the name of a QB.

With the team heading into the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to pick the local kid and select Pitt signal caller and Heisman Trophy finalist Kenny Pickett as the future face of their franchise.

A New Jersey native, Pickett was a three-star prospect who opted to play his college ball in western Pennsylvania. His career is a story of perseverance and continued development, as no one had Pickett going in the first round prior to the 2021 college football season.

Then, Pickett exploded with a redshirt senior year to remember. He navigated the Panthers to 11 wins and an ACC championship while going 334-for-497 (67.2 percent) for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He racked up accolades as a senior, getting named a first-team All-American, the ACC Player of the Year, and winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Pickett will presumably compete with Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky for the team’s starting quarterback job. At the very least, he can give his fellow members of Pittsburgh’s draft class some dynamite restaurant recommendations.