When you run a well-functioning organization with a tenured head coach and a smart offensive coordinator, the trepidation of a so-called down market for collegiate quarterbacks doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to you.
This is, at least, the philosophy by which the Steelers selected Kenny Pickett on Thursday. At pick No. 20, its original pick, Pittsburgh simply waited as a handful of quarterback-needy teams entertained and passed potential fits. The Steelers came into the draft with only Mitchell Trubisky as a long-term succession plan, having ignored a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger in each of the previous few drafts despite his obvious signs of aging. And, with all the excitement of a short, ho-hum slog to the refrigerator, they took a quarterback they’ll probably have running their offense capably for the next decade.
