Back in 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed a long-term answer at quarterback. The Steelers decided to roll with Kenny Pickett at the 20th overall pick, someone they believed was the best option in an otherwise weak QB class.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to 2026, and that chapter was closed a while ago. However, to The Athletic\u2019s Robert Mays, the Steelers are still struggling in the aftermath of that pick. Mays believes the Steelers are a good example of the fallout from missing on a first-round quarterback.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what happens if you miss out on the first-round guys. The Steelers are exactly in this boat with Kenny Pickett. They\u2019re still moving through this\u2026 It really is at least five, and often seven years, that are attached to this sort of pick, if you\u2019re drafting a quarterback this high,\u201d Mays said Thursday on The Athletic Football Show<\/a>. \u201cAgain, you said the Steelers, that was one where I had down. It\u2019s been four years since they missed on Kenny Pickett. They\u2019re still working through it.\u201d<\/p>\n Mays talks about how long a miss so early in the draft can affect a franchise, and he has an argument. When drafting a quarterback in the first round, even if it\u2019s at 20th overall, there are obviously high expectations. Nowadays, with high-level quarterbacks making extreme amounts of money on their second contracts, teams often try to contend while that quarterback is still on a rookie deal.<\/p>\n The Steelers try to contend every year, no matter what. There are times in which franchises sacrifice assets to contend with a young quarterback, and their timeline gets funky when that quarterback doesn\u2019t pan out. But the Steelers haven\u2019t had the worst run in the world since Pickett and the franchise parted ways before the 2024 season.<\/p>\n It hasn\u2019t been perfect, as the Steelers still haven\u2019t snapped their playoff losing streak. But they got some solid play at times from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in 2024, then even better play from Aaron Rodgers in 2025. The Steelers do still have 10 wins and a playoff appearance in each of their last three seasons. So missing on Pickett didn\u2019t completely set the franchise back.<\/p>\n That being said, the Steelers are still feeling some effects. Pickett clearly hasn\u2019t worked out at the NFL level. But he did win 14 out of 24 starts with the Steelers over two seasons. As a result, they haven\u2019t been high enough in the draft to select another quarterback early in the first round and have had to cycle through veterans since.<\/p>\n