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

5th year senior playing against young/weak talent in the ACC during a pandemic. Exactly why this was his only good year. Pickett doesn't even have elusive speed. It's not going to work in the pros. He will run for a bit for 1-2 years then it will be you need to be a pocket passer to stay healthy. Then we're left with a mediocre arm. Baker has a better arm than Pickett.

Look, I'm not sold on either. Willis can go to a terrible situation and never pan out either. All I'm saying is we have to see how the 2nd round goes.. But Tyler Linderbaum + trading a 4th to move up a few spots in the 2nd to get Willis. Give Willis a year or two behind Mitch. Makes a lot more sense than Kenny Pickett + whoever we get and now throwing Pickett to the fire and Mitch backing him up. It's horrible asset management. Linderbaum is going to be an all pro for many years too.

 

and won what in the end?

 

I dunno man. Nobody knew how long Ben was going to play or if he would be able to maintain the level of play especially when he was getting his ass kicked. Hell, he was getting sacked 45+ times a year and the injuries were stacking up. He became less mobile. I don't think anyone would have been surprised if he hung up his cleats in 2015. Plus, think back to 2010 when he got suspended, there were a ton of people wanting the steelers to cut bait with Ben. There were plenty of controversies, injuries, and public angst with Ben that could have ended his career many times. It was 2017 I believe when he made the threat to retire. I just don't believe that those QB picks didn't come with some expectation that the guy could succeed Ben. At a minimum, the FO had to be thinking about an insurance policy if Ben did something stupid. I'm just not buying it.

 

Got their a$$es handed to them at Heinz Field by Bortles and Jaguars. Steelers sandbagged a lot of wins that year vs. backup QBs.

 

that list is just

No diamonds in the rust there.

 

YUP, we scored a lot of points that game too. just not more than the other team when it mattered most.

 

The Jags were a good team that year, offense and defense. If they had Trevor Lawrence at QB... they would have won the Super Bowl. Bortles was definitely the weak link on that team.

 

I think that the pass Willis threw high through the goal post on his pro day sealed his fate.
I saw enough of Kordell inaccuracy to not want to see that again.

 

They assume he will become more accurate, but it's more likely he gets hurt if he continues to run so much.

 

You question Pickett for playing weak competition, yet you wanted Willis? You're funny.

What is elusive speed? There is speed and elusiveness. They are different things. You do realize that a big part of why Willis looked so good as a runner was that he was facing such low-level competition, right? No, you probably don't.

In reality, the difference in speed between Pickett and Willis is negligible, but that's not what really matters. What really matters is the quarterback's ability to move in the pocket, feel the rush and either buy more time or take off. I honestly don't think that is something that is easy to learn. I think players with a good pocket presence either have it or they don't. We saw this years ago with Kordell Stewart, a fantastic athlete with a horrible pocket presence. I honestly think that is Willis's upside, to be a player like Stewart. Pickett, on the other hand, excels at feeling and avoiding the rush. He is a dangerous passer under pressure.

Don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan of Linderbaum. Clearly, the Steelers were not. They didn't even go to the Iowa pro day. He was never going to be the pick. I disagree with them on that, but a strategy that passes on Willis is a very good thing.

 

True. Its really hard for kids to just all of the sudden become more accurate. Not many do it. I get that he is projecting into the future a couple years, but there is no guarantee. If we can get Tony Romo or Derek Carr out of Pickett (not saying that's his ultimate ceiling), we will be able to contend in the AFC North with all the other teams spending top dollar on their respective QB's.

 

That is exactly what I see with Willis, a Kordell Stewart, but slower and a lot less polished coming out of college.

 

The thing is, MOST people are convinced Tribumski is going to beat out Rudolph Reindeer...not sure what film they're seeing, but they're convinced. I'm not so sure about that....Tribumski is a flat out bust, and I'm not positive he could start in the USFL or the CFL, to be honest.

 

The Jags had a good team but also understood what they were much like Lamar Jackson's first year. The Jags knew Bortles wasn't going to suddenly become Brady, they played high percentage low risk ball and funneled everything through Fournette. He pounds it for 6 on 1st down, gets two more on second and Bortles either hit the back on a release for the first or the TE on a drag route for the lastv2 yards and then right back to pounding it. They let Bortles sling it down field once every 15 plays or so where if he makes it great if not, right back to ground and pound. They were giving the Pats a run for their money too before they got behind and weren't able to use what was working. Why they decided to change the following year is a mystery because it was working for them.

 

They went for the comfort food instead of the exotic selection.
They went for what can you do for me now instead of what can be.

Avoid bi polar reactions to one draft pick. One cannot say a pick is our ruin anymore than saying he’s our savior.

He’s capable, can pass on the move, and he’s fierce in the Red Zone (Very).
Time will tell the rest.

 

I keep seeing these takes that make it sound like the Steelers just weren't willing to be patient and that is why they took Pickett over Wilis. That just makes no sense. They signed Trubisky so they could be patient. What they chose is the better quarterback. Sure, he is more Greg Maddux than Joel Zumaya, but which of those guys would you rather have?

 

why not? Trubisky is making backup money.

 

Kordell was ahead of his time. He would have thrived in todays NFL.

 

I have always wanted to know the answer to this.

Granted, I'm generally bad at projecting QBs so I'm generally never interested in them. The only QB I was ever confident will be good that became good was Kyler Murray.


But I like Pickett's highlights. Granted it looks like he has really good WRs. But damn, the boy throws it well.

 

You sound like you are describing Tom Brady

 

And still put 45 on Tomlins led D

 

I remember the offense being part of the problem early. They came back to almost win.... but yeah. I distinctly remember some turnovers and 3 and outs helping the defense get scored on in bunches too.

 

Depends. If he would have stayed as "Slash", yes. At QB, no way! I was down low at Riverfront Stadium his rookie year when he jumped up like a deer, caught the ball up high, split 2 Bungle defenders, and then jogged into the end zone like it was no big deal. If he would have stayed at WR, I think he could have been a HOFer, I'm serious. Instead, Korky insisted on being a QB...the rest was history. Sometimes, chasing one dream can end a better dream.