The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving forward in their quarterback search. But to make the best decision for the future, understanding past mistakes is key. On Wednesday, CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala shared insight into where things went wrong in Pittsburgh’s drafting of QB Kenny Pickett in 2022.
“I was just talking to someone who used to work with the Steelers, and he said to me, ‘Well, they didn’t wanna make the same mistake that they made with Marino,” she told 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller.
Writing about Pickett’s failure in Pittsburgh is well-documented and, in many ways, no longer interesting. Kinkhabwala’s comment was made in passing but is notable coming from someone who used to work for the Steelers, though that individual’s role is unclear. For all we know, he could’ve been selling hot dogs. And it is likely that person’s opinion, as opposed to an ironclad fact straight from former GM Kevin Colbert.
Still, the parallels are easy to understand. One of Pittsburgh’s greatest draft blunders was bypassing Pitt’s own Dan Marino in the 1983 NFL Draft. On the board when the Steelers selected 21st overall, the team opted to draft Texas Tech DT Gabe Rivera instead. Rivera would be paralyzed in a drunk driving accident as a rookie and never play again. Marino became a Hall of Famer.
Pittsburgh may not have wanted to repeat history. When Pickett fell to the Steelers at No. 20 in 2022, the team took the hometown kid. Pickett wasn’t the right guy, though Kinkhabwala believes the organization did him no favors.
“He wasn’t set up to succeed,” she said. “What was going on in the building was not going to allow for pretty much any quarterback to succeed with what the offensive coordinator situation was. With the way the wide receivers were. With what the offensive line was.”
She’s not wrong. Pittsburgh had little around Pickett and paired him with OC Matt Canada. Not just the worst in Steelers’ history, but arguably one of the worst offensive coordinators in the NFL’s modern era. But two things can be true. Pickett didn’t have the talent, and Pittsburgh didn’t have the system. Pickett’s been nothing more than a journeyman backup since being traded and now sits behind Bryce Young in Carolina. The Steelers are still searching for a long-term answer.
Holding the 21st pick in 2026, just as the team did in 1983, Pittsburgh is unlikely to select a first-round quarterback. That conversation may begin in the third round with a prototypical build player like Miami (FL)’s Carson Beck or North Dakota State’s Cole Payton, while Will Howard should throw inside a stadium for the first time in his career. Whoever the long-term option is can’t be made for sentimental or regional reasons.
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