PITTSBURGH — Surely, you have heard about the 1974 NFL Draft, when the Steelers selected future Hall of Famers Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster within 104 picks of each other and then picked up Donnie Shell after the conclusion of the draft.
It is widely, if not exclusively, recognized as the best draft in NFL history, and rightfully so. It set the precedent for how the Steelers would approach the building of their organization for the next half-century.
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The 2022 draft isn’t close to the 1974 draft, and nobody is suggesting it is, but it appears to have more promise than any other Steelers class in more than a decade, and surely more than a few recent classes.
The Steelers are surprisingly still in the playoff race with two games left, but that’s secondary compared to the strides that some of the rookies have taken and the potential that others have shown. They have gotten playing time from nearly every one of their picks, with two starting (Kenny Pickett and George Pickens), three contributing (DeMarvin Leal, Connor Heyward and Jaylen Warren), one drawing praise from coaches and teammates (Mark Robinson) and another who flashed in camp (Calvin Austin III) before injuring his foot.
Steelers 2022 draft class is turning into or has potential to be a stud fest — Pickett, Pickens, Leal, Robinson, Heyward. And we haven't seen Calvin Austin at all yet.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) December 26, 2022
“Every rookie class has a bond,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “In the offseason, when you bring them together, you herd them in vans, you house them in the same hotels, they eat together, at training camp, they live together. They figure things out together. Life skills on Tuesday.
“The only thing that’s probably different about this group is they’re probably getting the opportunity to contribute and play more in the midst of it.”
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There was a string of years not that long ago where a rookie wouldn’t dare play. It took Cameron Heyward until his third year before he broke into the starting lineup. Tomlin’s first class included Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley, who rarely played their rookie seasons.
Now, this isn’t suggesting any of these players will turn into stars. It’s just too early to determine that.
However, let’s check in on the 2022 rookie class — the last of Kevin Colbert’s distinguished career.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett. (Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)QB Kenny Pickett (Round 1, No. 20)
Pickett’s numbers aren’t spectacular. He hasn’t consistently made those “wow” throws. He hasn’t taken Matt Canada’s offense and put up a dominating performance on the scoreboard. But it is all about perspective when it comes to Pickett. Most rookie quarterbacks struggle in the NFL, whether it was Peyton Manning or Josh Allen. In this instance, all you have to do is look around and see how bad Malik Willis and Desmond Ridder have been as rookies.
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Pickett is miles ahead of those two in terms of development.
“We don’t grade on a curve,” Tomlin said. “Oftentimes, when I’m asked about Kenny, I talk about his progression and the rate of his progression but always include in that statement that we’re not grading on the curve. We expect him to produce wins while this development is happening.”
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Determining how far along Pickett is in his development is tricky because we don’t know the answers to some important questions, like why Pickett won’t go down the field more often even though that was one of the best things he did in college. Is he not reading the field properly, or has the emphasis on not turning the ball over been bashed into his head so much that he’s afraid to take shots?
We don’t know, just like we don’t know if Canada’s offense is dummied down for a rookie quarterback for him to make quick decisions but sacrifice depth and intricacies in the process.
There are a lot of unknowns.
Pickett’s best attributes so far have been his ability to take care of the ball and never be overwhelmed by the situation — two very important attributes for a successful quarterback. The other stuff takes time to develop, and it sure seems like next year will bring out more of that.
You couldn’t ask Pickett to be any further along in his development than he is. It was a mistake not to give him more meaningful reps in the spring and summer. At that point, Tomlin had every intention of not playing Pickett during the entire season. How much that slowed his growth is impossible to determine, but it’s silly not to think it had some effect.
WR George Pickens (Round 2, No. 52)
Pickens has played 77 percent of the offensive snaps and caught 47 passes for 700 yards (14.9 average) and three touchdowns. His catches and yards rank him in the top eight in franchise history as a rookie receiver with two games left. His 17 contested catches are tied for most ever by a rookie. So yeah, Pickens is who we thought he was when we first saw him.
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His route tree has been somewhat limited, which is normal for a rookie, but we’ve seen more diversity in it recently, including a nice route to create separation in the waning moments of the game against the Raiders that resulted in a game-winning 14-yard touchdown reception. Pickens was lined up in the inside slot, which he rarely does, and ran an option route.
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Pickens had to read the safety and then make a decision about what route to run. It was the correct read for a rookie who hasn’t played that position much.
Got that dawg in him
📲 Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/E0NYNUAdNa pic.twitter.com/I4fnw9zVEw
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 25, 2022
“He’s the best athlete probably that I’ve played with. Just the freak things that he does, the catches he makes that are so nonchalant to him, but I kind of look around like, ‘I’ve never seen that before in my life,'” Pickett said. “He’s a unique guy that can do a lot of great things.”
Pickens’ diversity is showing later in the season, and the Steelers are working new formations into the game plan for him.
His blocking has also been really good all year. For a second-round pick whom some took off their draft boards for various reasons, he’s been pretty dynamic.
DT DeMarvin Leal (Round 3, No. 84)
Leal had a solid camp for a rookie and seemed set to be a good role player on the defensive line this season before he hurt his knee, had surgery and was put on injured reserve. He’s been back for a month now, but it is always tough for a rookie to get back on a moving train. Since returning, he’s played just 37 snaps and hasn’t registered any stats.
“We got a chance to see him probably a little more than we anticipated early, but the returns were good,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.
Leal was always going to be a role player as a rookie anyway. With Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi starting and Tyson Alulau and Chris Wormley being veterans off the bench, there wasn’t much room for Leal. With Alualu expected to retire and Wormley having knee surgery that puts his availability next year into question, Leal will be key in 2023.
Still, the rookie showed enough splash in camp and in the early portion of the season that suggests that he is a guy who could jump into a bigger role next year. His size and speed are much more suited for what the Steelers want from their defensive linemen.
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WR Calvin Austin III (Round 4, No. 138)
Austin flashed in training camp and appeared to be a good fit as a slot receiver in Canada’s offense. However, a foot injury in camp and then an aggravation of that after he came off injured reserve forced him to have surgery. He has been working out on his own after practice, but it was a wasted season for the speedy Austin because of injuries.
TE Connor Heyward (Round 6, No. 208)
For a sixth-round pick who is still learning the position, Heyward has been surprisingly good as a receiver. He’s played in all 15 games, and in seven of those, he’s played more than 10 offensive snaps. He has nine catches for 106 yards and a score — the team’s lone TD in a win at Atlanta — plus a 21-yard run (which sealed the win over the Raiders) on his resume.
.@kennypickett10 hits @ConnorHeyward1 for six‼️
📲 Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/E0NYNUAdNa pic.twitter.com/6LLzL1jSHa
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 4, 2022
They are definitely not standout numbers, but when you are talking about a sixth-round pick contributing at all as a rookie, it is a plus.
“I think he has gotten better,” Canada said. “I mean, he’s been a guy that we’ve been high on since we got him, and I’ve been a fan of his. I think I’ve said that multiple times. I think he’s certainly trending in the right direction. I do think when you make those plays, your opportunities continue to grow and through injuries at different spots, different personnel groups, different plans, all those things kind of factor into it.
“But he certainly is trending the right way. His ability to understand our offense, his job, has increased his play.”
Heyward is also a heavy contributor on special teams, tying for third on the team with 256 special teams snaps. And, I can’t stress this enough, most sixth-rounders don’t play, let alone contribute, as rookies.
Heyward is never going to be the end-of-the-line blocker, but he has shown he has the athletic ability to have a nice role with the Steelers both offensively and on special teams.
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ILB Mark Robinson (Round 7, No. 225)
Robinson has played only seven defensive snaps, and yet we still hear so much about the rookie inside linebacker out of Mississippi. Robinson was a flyer back in May who needed time to develop, and the Steelers are giving him time to develop.
Just two years ago, Robinson was a running back. Now, he’s in the NFL playing linebacker at 100 mph. In his first two snaps of his career, he appeared to be shot out of a cannon as a downhill run stuffer.
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“That’s kind of how he plays though. I mean, that’s him,” Teryl Austin said. “And it’s good. I think that he was excited to really get a (helmet), get in there and not just be a special teams guy and have an opportunity for some scrimmage, some defensive snaps. We like that. That’s one of the things we like about Mark Rob, he’s a contact player. We learned that, we saw that in camp.
“Again, he’s had his opportunity. He’s been grooming behind the scenes and working his tail off in practice. When he got his opportunity, I thought he reacted and did well.”
The verdict is still out on Robinson. He looks like he could be a contributor, but until you see him on a daily basis, you just don’t know. Steelers fans have been clamoring for him to play over Devin Bush, but taking the slow route and letting him learn is probably the right thing to do. Practice reps are huge for him, just so he can see things over and over again.
With the Steelers not picking up Bush’s fifth-year option, he will hit free agency in March. It’s unlikely he will return. Robert Spillane is also an unrestricted free agent. Myles Jack is still under contract for another year, but the Steelers could save $8 million against the cap by releasing him, so the position could get thin in a hurry next year to allow Robinson more of a chance.
Jaylen Warren (undrafted)
There is a belief that you can find a running back anywhere in the draft, and to a degree that’s true. Even though there are plenty of examples, there are 10 times as many late-round or undrafted running backs that fail. Warren has shown to be the exception.
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Warren was signed after the draft to compete for the backup spot behind Najee Harris, but there wasn’t much hope he could do that after bouncing around from Snow College to Utah State to Oklahoma State. They brought in another undrafted running back, Mataeo Durant, to compete with Warren, Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland for the backup running back spot. Warren grabbed hold of the backup job in camp and parlayed that into a nice role as Harris’ backup.
“When we’re talking about who’s trending, Jaylen has been explosive,” Canada said. “You look at the plays and what he’s done when he’s on the field — blocking, running the ball, catching the ball. Obviously, he is writing his script, in my opinion, from coming in where he started to where he is now. He’s elevated and does a great job.”
Warren has rushed for 267 yards on 59 carries over 14 games. He’s also caught 22 passes for 185 yards but has been surprisingly good as the team’s third-down back in terms of blocking and picking up first downs. He is among the team leaders with 15 plays that have resulted in first downs. He’s played about a third of the offensive plays this year, which has helped Harris avoid getting worn down.
Now, Warren has yet to get a full complement of carries in a game because that’s not his role. He appears to have the ability to be able to fill in long-term if needed, which is more than the Steelers had heading into the season.
(Top photo of Jaylen Warren: Philip G. Pavely / USA Today)
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