Will Kenny Pickett be the next great Steelers quarterback?

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Pitt football star quarterback Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall.

After screwing the pooch with Dan Marino back in 1983, the Pittsburgh Steelers righted a wrong by selecting Pitt football star quarterback Kenny Pickett No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Pittsburgh shares the same stadium with Pitt, but rarely drafts Panthers players. The belief is what happens if a former Pitt star fails on the big stage. Not to say this played a big part in the Steelers passing on the greatest arm talent ever back in 1983, but they were not going to get Marino-ed here, dammit. They picked their guy as the first quarterback coming off the board.

Having to fill the massive shoes of Ben Roethlisberger, is Pickett ready for the biggest challenge?

Steelers draft Kenny Pickett: Is Pitt QB ready to be next Pittsburgh star?

The two big criticisms regarding Pickett were hand size and not being a dominant player up until his final year at Pitt. Well, he played all of his home games in the same stadium the Steelers call home, so hand size is a moot point. As for not popping until his final year at Pitt, well, he was the best player in the ACC last season and guided the Panthers to an impressive conference title.

As for if he can replace Big Ben, it all starts with him being himself. Though he was the most pro-ready of the quarterbacks entering the 2022 NFL Draft, he has the luxury to bide his time behind Mitch Trubisky this season if need be. Ultimately, a proven college star in Pickett gets to go to a winning organization in Pittsburgh. The best part is he does not even have to move to do it.

Let’s temper expectations initially, but Pickett was drafted to be Roethlisberger’s heir apparent.