2022 NFL Draft Steelers Analysis
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett and wide receiver George Pickens celebrate after their go-ahead touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 8, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 NFL Draft class was supposed to be the bunch that ushered in a new era for the team after the departure Ben Roethlisberger and longtime general manager Kevin Colbert. Instead, after the trade of volatile wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday morning, the group is now nearly certain to be remembered as a disappointment.
The Steelers traded Pickens, who was their second-round pick in 2022, to the Cowboys for a third-rounder and a swap of third-day draft picks.
The low return for Pickens didn’t represent a lack of talent in the player. Pickens put up over 2,800 yards in his three seasons in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers probably never got the full benefit of his talents with a subpar collection of offensive coordinators and quarterbacks surrounding him.
No, the reason Pickens was shipped out from Pittsburgh was all about his outside-the-whistles issues, from being late to a game, to being serially late to practice, to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, profane messages on his eye black, and too-numerous-to-count sideline tantrums.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens at training camp on Aug. 8, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The team also traded 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett for less draft capital than they used him. Pickett was shipped away last offseason — also for a third-round pick — after a largely uninspiring partnership. The seven-player collective has yielded as many second contracts — none — as it has playoff wins.
Considering the circumstances, with the Steelers not having an immediately corresponding move to replace him, Pickens’ end with the team is equally frustrating as Pickett not panning out. Black and gold fans watched the former No. 20 overall choice kneel out a Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles in February, leaving them to wonder, “What if?”
Pickett’s time with the Steelers is remembered most fondly by those who cheered him on to an ACC Championship at Pitt, but in reality, he was an average-at-best performer who made himself look better with a handful of late-game heroics. A portion of the fanbase soured on Pickett after seeing his reaction to adversity.
Pickett notably refused to dress as the team’s third quarterback for a game in Seattle in 2023, then demanded a trade when the team’s defensive stars went out and helped recruit Russell Wilson to start ahead of him in 2024.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett in a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 6, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Pickett was a pick who was elevated on draft boards by the lack of quarterback talent in his class — and it’s true that none of the other options outside of Brock Purdy have turned out to be better. On talent and production, Pickens has been a success story as a second-round pick.
The biggest problem with both Pickett and Pickens is that they didn’t fit into the team concept. Pickett couldn’t handle being benched and the team bringing in competition. Pickens seemingly couldn’t handle basic requirements of being an NFL player like showing up on time.
With give-up trades of the first two picks before the end of their rookie contracts, it’s going to be hard for the Steelers to find much value in the 2022 NFL Draft class, and the later picks haven’t leapt outside their pre-draft expectations, either.
Defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal (3rd round, No. 84 overall) remains on the roster. Head coach Mike Tomlin was complimentary of Leal’s versatility during his rookie season, saying that the defensive linemen who distinguish themselves are either plurally capable or head-turning in stature.
“They have hand-eye coordination of smaller people,” Tomlin said. “They play catch, they punt balls with DBs and so forth. Leal is that type of guy that kind of falls into that latter category. He doesn’t realize that he’s a lineman.”
However, Leal was absent for much of last season with a neck injury. He played in only five games and registering two total tackles. He’ll have to vie with rookie Derrick Harmon, free agent Daniel Ekuale and other depth players like Isaiahh Loudermilk, Dean Lowry and Logan Lee to even make the roster this year. It’s not unfair to state Leal has become an afterthought in the team’s plans with a year remaining on his first deal.
Diminutive receiver Calvin Austin III (4th round, No. 138) figures to be a contributing part of the attack this upcoming season, especially now that Pickens is gone. The Steelers have gotten good value out of Austin, who had the second-most receiving yards (548) by a wideout on the team last season. That’s about as much as you can ask out of a fourth-rounder, especially having begun behind the eight-ball with an injury during his rookie season.
Sixth-round tight end Heyward rears his head every now and then. He has 41 career receptions for 358 yards and two touchdowns, but his numbers are nothing to write home about. His 6-foot, 230-pound stature isn’t the typical tight end build, and fullbacks are all but buried in today’s game. Heyward was only on the field for 18% of the team’s offensive snaps last year. He had a career-low six grabs for 40 yards.
It’s harder to criticize later-round picks, such as seventh-round linebacker Mark Robinson, who’s mainly seen time as a special teamer, a role expected of such a draft position. However, quarterback Chris Oladokun, Pittsburgh’s other seventh-round get, has enjoyed the most team success of any out of that bunch.
As a practice-squad passer, the former South Dakota signal-caller has received a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Kansas City Chiefs. Oladokun saw his first regular-season game action in a 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 18 last season, playing all of five snaps.
At the time, even, the choice to burn a draft pick on Oladokun was a head-scratcher. The Steelers had Pickett, Mitch Trusbisky and Mason Rudolph, giving the seventh-rounder little chance to make the 53-man roster.
A seventh-round blunder, of course, is more forgivable than the team’s first- and second-round choices not making it to a second deal with the team.
Rather than forging into the future with Pickett and Pickens with a bright and contending outlook, the Steelers will peek back and ponder where they went wrong — if they were in the business of doing such things.
Mentioned In This Article: 2022 NFL Draft Ben Roethlisberger George Pickens Kenny Pickett Kevin Colbert Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers top