Tomlin sets us back another 5 years... Pickett over Willis

I know you won't see reason. You never do, but here goes, anyway.

I think this was a consensus pick. You keep making up this thing about Tomlin picks every time there is a pick you don't like. It makes it hard to take your posts seriously.

Willis isn't just a prospect. It isn't just that it would probably take two or three years before he is ready. There is a very high chance that he will be a bust. Also, taking a project ruins part of the value of taking a quarterback in the first round, which is having your quarterback on a rookie deal for up to five years.

Everybody had to deal with the pandemic. Sure, the ACC isn't the SEC, but it's a hell of a lot better than the competition Wills faced. If you really think that all Pickett did was run around, you are even more ignorant than I thought. Watch some film breakdowns online. Pickett did a great job going through progressions and reading what college defenses were trying to do to him. Yes, some of what he did was improvisation. He can buy time with his legs and make plays. That is a good thing, but to suggest he can't read defenses and make good choices with the football really only suggests that you know nothing about the guy.

Willis is the one who just runs around. Again, watch the film breakdowns. There were times even his first option was open immediately, yet he chose to run around and try to improvise. Sure, he has fantastic physical tools, but he's a very long way from being ready and it is far from guaranteed that he will get there.

Also, going back to Pickett, he's got his head on straight. He doesn't have Mayfield's lack of maturity. That is huge for a quarterback. It's not like Mayfield doesn't have the physical tools to be an excellent NFL quarterback. He is athletic and he has a great arm. It is the head that is the problem.

 

Pickett in 2021. Pickett won more with hella lot less. Take Pickett off of Pitt 21 and that's a 7-5, maybe 6-6 football team. Take Baker off of Oklahoma 2017 and they're probably 9-3 or 10-2. Also Baker had the luxury of playing behind a far better OLine. That's not to say Pitt didn't have talent on O. They got Jordan Addison and Mack, plus a TE in Krull, and ok bunch of RBs.

 

The fact that QB needing teams were ahead of us, and no one drafted any of the remaining QBs after us says something about the remaining group. Not saying they are not capable, but they all believe they can pick them in the second round or later. While everyone has agreed this is one of the weaker QB classes in recent drafts, that is no knock on Kenny Pickett. He was most often the best of this group. While Tomlin may have gushed over Willis at the Senior Bowl, that was during practice. During the game Willis did not play well.

 

Don't be ridiculous, I'm not saying backups aren't needed. Obviously, any drafted player comes with some level of risk and most won't be starters. My point is that a player shouldn't be drafted specifically to be a backup. There should be some reasonable expectation that a draft pick should be a starter. Otherwise, why draft a QB at all since the league is littered with backup QBs on the cheap. Hell, we've picked up 3 former 1st round QBs for pennies on the dollar in the past few years to be backups.

 

Or perhaps it says that steelers reached for Pickett in the 1st.

 

Clearly they view Pickett as far more than just a backup. He was their best available player at the time. They didn’t hesitate for a second. They knew who they wanted and got him because they believe he’s a starter. As do some of the other draftniks.

 

It was Matt, he went on to say that signing Trubisky makes no sense now because he expects Pickett to be the starter. I saw Colbert's press conference on The NFL Network and he said that it is an open competition between the 3 QB's to be the starter.

 

I think they would have traded up to get Willis if Pickett was gone early. They would have run the risk of losing a shot at both. Since neither was off the board, they were able to sit and wait.

 

You don't know that.

 

We have invested heavily in the o-line last draft and in the off-season, it is time for them to show it wasn't wasted, there's also plenty of rounds left this draft anway.

 

Fortunately Pickett needs the least development of any of the QBs in 2022 class. This is not Willis or Ridder.

 

Yes I agree that they obviously view Pickett as a starter and I never said he won't be. I don't agree he was best available player at the time. Maybe best available QB but not BPA overall. My initial response here was that Colbert doesn't have a stellar record drafting QBs outside of Ben. And Ben was arguably his best draft pick ever. Time will tell if Pickett can be the franchise QB that everyone wants. I like the guy and feel like he has a reasonable shot at being a starter. I hope he is the man. I just don't believe he is that much better than Mitch to warrant taking him in the 1st. Especially not when there are other needs that could have been filled with higher rated players at their respective positions.

I want to be clear that I don't hate the guy or the player he is. It's a great story and he is definitely the sentimental pick for many steelers fans. I just don't like the pick of a QB (any QB in this draft) at #20 by the FO. Another poster on the board, who I won't mention but he'll know who I'm talking about, wanted to take me to task saying I didn't watch him play or that I was somehow saying he sucked is wrong on both counts.

The only other thing I'll add is that there seems to be as much risk or uncertainty with Mitch as there is with Pickett. What if Mitch ends up killing it and turns into the QB for the steelers that he was drafted by Chicago to be? That would pretty much mean that they drafted a QB in the 1st round to be a backup. Mitch is only 3+ years older than Pickett. I would welcome that as a good problem to have.

 

I don't see how this offseason could have been more productive for Tomlin and Colbert. All 22 starting positions were taken care of with free agents; all that time spent scouting QBs and then they get to actually have their pick of whoever they wanted. And the fact that they didn't need to trade a 2023 pick for it, or trade away their best WR is simply unbelievable.

They stayed at #20 and were able to draft a guy that was probably #1 on their board and didn't have to destroy the future or present to do it.

 

They'd be stupid to name anyone the starter before camp. Let Trubisky and Pickett battle it out. If Trubisky wins, no big deal. He was a #2 overall pick and has been in the league for a while, and Pickett is a rookie. No need to rush Pickett. However, If Pickett is the better QB... then by all means start the kid. No reason to hold him back.

Trubisky makes a ton of sense. There was no guarantee that Pickett was going to be available at 20, and having to force a position because you have no contingency plan is what stupid teams do. We had Trubisky in case our favorite QB (or QB's) were gone, and it would allow us the flexibility to have drafted a non-QB in the first and no have to force a QB because we are panicked. We didn't break the bank on Trubisky, and never named him the heir apparent to the franchise. We needed a starter-level QB to go into the draft with. We didn't have one on the roster.

 

I have been seeing posts in nearly every thread about trading Rudolph. Who in the world would want him? We couldn't get a 2028 7th rounder for this guy. Give up that dream. Ask yourself this. Before signing Trubisky and drafting Pickett. Would you have been excited to trade a 7th rounder for Rudolph, say if we only had Josh Dobbs and Haskins on the depth chart? I wouldn't, I'd have been mad we pissed away a 7th round pick, which while nearly useless, can get you a good ST player or added quality to a weak depth chart with a 3 or 4% chance of lucking upon an actual starter.

 

So you are saying that they weren't drafting to prepare for the inevitable day when Ben retired? Which, BTW, was at least 3 years too late IMO. Especially Jones, Dobbs, and Rudolph. If those 3 weren't drafted with an expectation to succeed Ben, then Colbert wasted those picks.

 

Mason Rudolph = Landry Jones 2.0

 

Pickett was the guy with the least question marks. Not surprising that he was the first one taken. The other guys just had a few too many question marks to go in the first.

Willis - Small school wonder? Didn't dominate at FBS level? Can he learn how to play QB in any capacity? Accuracy issues?
Corral - Medical? Is he big enough? Can he operate in an NFL offense?
Howell - Product of system? Size? Which Howell is he (2019-2020, or 2021)?
Ridder - Small school wonder? Accuracy issues? Can he operate in an NFL offense?

 

AND the competition, it sharpens the focus a bit more. If it means one or both will spend that extra 30 minutes each day working with position coach or watching film to get an edge, all the better.

 

Plus, you never want to just HAND the job to a rookie. That way he has the opportunity to earn the respect of the locker room, which is absolutely something he needs if he wants to lead this team over the course of his career. Respect is always earned, not given. Also it would put unnecessary pressure and expectations on the kid to anoint him before he steps foot on the field in a Steelers uniform. They would be doing the kid a great disservice if they just handed him the job based on his draft position. Tomlin and Co. aren't dumb enough to do that.

 

The reverse is more likely the case. If he balls decently as they have a second year Mitch would likely be offered on a trade. You have 4 years left on a rookie contract at that point, you build around that.

 

i have heard this floated too. that Colbert wanted Pickett, Tomlin wanted Willis and maybe Rooney broke the tie - WHO KNOWS!

 

the problem is that Trubisky's value will never increase, if Pickett is the starter. Mitch will always only be Mitch - till he gets to play and win and prove himself.

 

I totally agree, but like I said earlier....after they seen nobody was taking Qbs earlier on....including Qb needy teams....they should have traded as far back as possible in the 1st round, or very beginning of the 2nd,and picked up other draft picks. That's all I can really complain about.