There were more than a few New Orleans Saints fans hoping their team would select Kenny Pickett in the 2022 NFL draft’s first round, bringing a promising quarterback prospect to a team that could use one. Instead, the Saints passed on Pickett twice, moving up to select wide receiver Chris Olave (who is making a strong case for his Rookie of the Year candidacy) at No. 11, then taking left tackle Trevor Penning (who just took a big step towards returning from the injured reserve list) at No. 19. Pickett wound up going to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20.
And there was plenty of smoke surrounding the situation. Pickett met with New Orleans ahead of the 2022 draft, and Saints head coach Dennis Allen recently said that he was their top-graded quarterback in the rookie class. Pickett’s college coach Pat Narduzzi even thought the Saints had selected Pickett on the night of the draft, when New Orleans was on the clock, and broke the bad news to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on a phone call.
