
As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers have officially said goodbye to WR Calvin Austin III. Playing the duration of his rookie deal in Pittsburgh, the writing was on the wall when Austin changed his representation last week ahead of free agency.
However, just minutes later on Thursday, the Steelers also lost starting fullback Connor Heyward, who joins the Las Vegas Raiders. With that move, the Steelers may officially be able to name the 2022 draft class, the worst in modern franchise history.
And that potential is now gone as Heyward goes to the Raiders.
— Rob Gregson (@NFL_Rob) March 12, 2026
Not one member of the #Steelers’ 2022 draft class receives a second contract in Pittsburgh. https://t.co/dRDkoV6leo
With the departure of Austin and Heyward, all seven selections from the 2022 class are out of Pittsburgh. You go through the class, and it's safe to say that it might go down as the worst in franchise history. Kenny Pickett, the 20th overall pick in the draft, is on his fifth team in less than four years in the league.
George Pickens was traded last offseason and is still waiting on a new deal with the Dallas Cowboys . DeMarvin Leal never panned out, Austin and Heyward have now signed with new teams and Mark Robinson and Chris Oladokun are also not on the roster anymore.
It might be not a coincidence that the last draft of Kevin Colbert's run as Steelers GM ends with one of the worst classes in franchise history. Colbert crafted some of the best rosters in the modern era of the NFL, but there was a lot of gut feel and instinct to his picks, and that may have started to wane towards the end.
Omar Khan is an different GM, but the book is still out on him. Until he has the hardware and Hall of Famers that Colbert does, it will be hard to say he's better, even if things didn't end great with Colbert in Pittsburgh.
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