Steelers Snag Rising Georgia QB in New Mock Draft

The Steelers have fired Matt Canada, and he is officially gone from Pittsburgh. But that turns all eyes to one man on the offensive side of the football – Kenny Pickett. This season, while about winning, was more than anything about seeing what Pickett could do for the team, and if he could not do it, then it could be time to move on. However, the Steelers did reiterate their belief in Pickett on Tuesday.

“I work with him every day,” head coach Mike Tomlin said of Pickett. “I’ve been really transparent with you guys about him, his willingness to work and my experience and what that tells me. This guy will do anything and everything. He work extremely hard. I just saw him a few minutes ago in the building. There’s such a thing as football justice. Those guys usually get what they’re looking for. So that’s why I remain consistently optimistic about the trajectory of his growth and development.”

Pickett has largely failed to develop beyond what he showed as a rookie quarterback last season thus far in 2023. In 10 games this season, he has completed 170 of 281 passes (60.5%) for 1,722 yards, six touchdowns, four interceptions and a 79.2 passer rating, 35.7 QBR and 4.96 adjusted net yards per attempt. Now, analysts are looking at the 2024 quarterback class and who the Steelers could take. The newest player mocked to them? Fast-rising Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. Pro Football Network’s A.J. Schulte threw his name out there as a possible candidate for the Steelers.

“Kenny Pickett isn’t the only problem with the Steelers’ offense… but he isn’t the solution, either. That experiment should be over soon, although the Steelers are admittedly slow to move on,” Schulte writes. “Carson Beck has been superb over the last few weeks of the season and has all the necessary traits to be a successful NFL quarterback who will be able to actually get the most out of Pittsburgh’s wide receivers.”

Beck has done well leading the Dawgs to another strong season, and his campaign has become a sleeper among the 2024 NFL Draft class. While eligible, most people do not believe he will come out. But he has 3320 passing yards and 21 touchdowns to just five interceptions while completing 72.9% of his passes. It’s an impressive season, and if Beck were there at 23, Pittsburgh would have to consider it.

Still, we are far off, and as Schulte notes, Pittsburgh is slow to move on from most spots. That includes quarterback, and Pickett could earn another year at the helm before they truly decide what they see in him as an NFL quarterback.