Ranking the 5 dumbest solutions to the Pittsburgh Steelers QB problem
By John Buhler
4. Drafting Bo Nix while still having Kenny Pickett on the 53-man roster
Look. I am a bigger believer in Bo Nix at the professional level than most, strictly for one reason. He probably has the highest floor of any potential first-round quarterback entering the 2024 NFL Draft. This is because Nix has started a boatload of games in college. He was a three-year starter at Auburn before transferring to Oregon to become a two-year starter for Dan Lanning's Ducks. Nix is so ready.
However, didn't we sort of say the same things about Kenny Pickett at the NFL level? I mean, the guy banked a ton of starts over his five years at Pitt. He was thought to be the most pro-ready quarterback of his weak draft class. Although he still might be, Pickett has proven to be only slightly better than Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons, who fans want benched after two years.
While I think Nix will succeed pretty much wherever he ends up, I don't see the Steelers as the best landing spot for him. The more I think about it, I tend to agree with Mel Kiper Jr.'s assessment of the situation. Nix is a slightly better version of what the Steelers already have in Pickett. If they did not have him, then I would be okay with drafting him No. 20 overall. However, you cannot have them both.
Nix has a better chance of hitting his NFL ceiling if he goes to Las Vegas or Denver over Pittsburgh.