Former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert defends Kenny Pickett draft pick

In 2022, shortly before Kevin Colbert stepped down as general manager, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Kenny Pickett in the NFL Draft. The former Pitt star became the No. 22 overall pick in the draft, but only spent two years with the franchise before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.

As he looked back on the selection, Colbert defended the decision to pick Pickett, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist during his final season at Pitt. He saw potential at the time and said that was why the Steelers took Pickett in the first round.

Colbert discussed the Pickett selection during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan this week. He said he thought Pickett was “trending in the right direction” during his time with Pittsburgh before the franchise ultimately chose to move on.

“We projected Kenny to be a start-and-win NFL quarterback, and quite honestly, he lived up to that in his first two seasons with us,” Colbert said, via Pittsburgh Steelers on SI’s Jack Markowski. “For us, he was 14-10 and trending in the right direction. So that’s what we thought we had in Kenny.

“Kenny’s a great young man. He’s a great competitor… And I still think at a young age, I still think Kenny can continue to build on what he did with us in those first two seasons.”

Pickett turned out to be the last first-round draft pick for Colbert as Steelers GM. Omar Khan then took over and has been in the role ever since.

More on Kenny Pickett’s career

Kenny Pickett started 12 out of 13 games in which he appeared as a rookie in 2022 and finished sixth in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. He had a 7-5 record as the starter while throwing for 2,404 yards and seven touchdowns, to nine interceptions.

But in 2023, Pickett struggled. He threw for 2,070 yards and six touchdowns, to four interceptions, as the Steelers rotated between him, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky. From there, Pittsburgh traded Pickett to the Eagles. He was on the roster as the franchise won Super Bowl LVIII.

Pickett then headed to the Cleveland Browns briefly in 2025 and got hurt during training camp before latching on with the Las Vegas Raiders. This offseason, Kenny Pickett signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers, where he’ll back up Bryce Young.