Steelers would be ideal landing spot for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye

We’re only heading into the second season of the Kenny Pickett era for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s fair to wonder whether or not Pickett is going to be the long-term guy for this storied organization.

Pickett’s rookie season was certainly a mixed bag. The Steelers wound up rallying in the second half of the season and with Pickett at the helm, they made a serious bid at the playoffs despite starting off the year 3-7. They ripped off seven wins in their final nine games, finishing the year 9-8 overall and keeping Mike Tomlin’s non-losing season record intact.

In Pickett’s starts, the Steelers were a respectable 7-5. Despite not being overly successful offensively on the season, the Steelers were the 7th-best team in the NFL at converting third downs and they rarely turned the ball over. Those are certainly foundational ingredients for future success, even if the overall numbers for Pickett weren’t impressive. The eye test is what really matters in a rookie season, and in many respects, I would say Kenny Pickett passed.

But the Pittsburgh Steelers look like a team — on paper — that is set up to be an absolutely perfect landing spot for one of the two big names at QB in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft class: Caleb Williams of USC and Drake Maye of North Carolina. Those two quarterbacks are fighting neck-and-neck for the distinction of QB1 in the upcoming Draft, and when you look at the way Pittsburgh is constructed, you can’t help but salivate at the idea of one of those guys being added into the mix.

Pittsburgh Steelers an ideal landing spot for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye?

Of course, it would require a collapse of epic proportions for the Steelers to get into position to take one of those guys. Or, it could only take a blockbuster trade. If the Steelers are an 8 or 9-win team in 2023, might they consider making a bold move up the board? I think the lower their win total in 2023, the better the odds are they move on from Kenny Pickett if they can get their hands on one of these two guys.

The Steelers have an outstanding core of young skill players offensively, led by Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris, and George Pickens. The Steelers have a top-10 defense and some of the game’s biggest stars on that side of the ball. They have been steadily making great investments in the offensive line, and by the time 2024 rolls around, the timing for a young quarterback to step in will be absolutely ideal.

Now, that could very well end up being Kenny Pickett. If Pickett takes a big stride forward in 2023, the Steelers are probably a playoff team again and this discussion is moot. If he looks average or worse, I think there’s another discussion to be had. You simply can’t rule out the possibility of going after a guy like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye if you have a chance, especially if a team is willing to trade down.

There are a lot of moving parts and variables there, but Pittsburgh is just one of those organizations that would be able to make a blockbuster trade like that and really excel, even though it’s not historically their “brand”. Pittsburgh is one of the winningest franchises in NFL history, and they have achieved that by having consistent quality quarterback play through the decades.

There’s a lot riding on this season for Kenny Pickett, but with the looming 2024 class, there may be more at stake than meets the eye.