MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 09: Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts after Chase Claypool #11 caught the ball over defender Patrick Peterson #7 of the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 9, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
NFL Draft 2022: 5 best picks of the first round
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin weighs in on Pittsburgh picking Kenny Pickett of the Pitt Panthers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
It looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have to go very far to find the quarterback they ended up selecting in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Kenny Pickett, who has been playing for the Pitt Panthers, was chosen by Pittsburgh with the 20th pick of the NFL Draft.
Pickett, who threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns against seven interceptions all while completing 67.2 percent of his passes in 2021, has some interesting potential that excites many. While not everyone is sold on Pickett for one reason or another, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted him when they had the opportunity to get him in the first round of the NFL Draft.
And now, with that selection, Pickett is the only quarterback taken in the first round of this year’s Draft.
Now that the Steelers made their choice, Tomlin had the opportunity to speak about it.
Mike Tomlin on selecting Kenny Pickett: “It’s interesting. We circled the United States the last several months exploring all these guys. And we ended up with the guy next door.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 29, 2022
2022 NFL Draft: Mike Tomlin weighs in after Pittsburgh Steelers select Kenny Pickett
Pittsburgh’s pick of Pickett has been met with some mixed reactions from fans, so of course it’s natural that folks online are going to try to read way too much into whatever Tomlin says on the matter right now.
But, if doubting Steelers fans need something to help them be happy, maybe this phone call to Pickett could help them out some.
There’s a chance that Pickett may not be ready to go right now. If that’s the case, the Steelers shouldn’t try to rush him out there. Especially not with Mitch Trubisky being signed to a two-year deal. If Trubisky can be a decent stopgap, maybe Pickett will have a better chance at panning out. Or maybe the Steelers won’t need to go down that patch at all. We’ll see.
