"Not a first-round player"- NFL analyst slams the Steelers for picking a poor QB to replace Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers were rumored to be interested in a quarterback heading into the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. That was true even after they signed Mitch Trubisky this offseason.

The team was linked to several signal-callers but ultimately went with the hometown kid in Kenny Pickett. Pickett was the only quarterback to get drafted in the first round, leading some to believe this was a terrible reach.

That is how analyst John Middlekauff felt, and he offered a strong take by comparing Ben Roethlisberger to a former NBA star after the selection.

"Kenny Pickett to me was not a first-round player. The Steelers need a quarterback, but they went from Roethlisberger for 17 or 18 years. You ever walked by Roethlisberger? He looks like Shaq, like a White Shaquille O'Neal. He's enormous. And before he got old, it was awesome. I can't imagine. I get it, you don't just get to go from Roethlisberger to another Roethlisberger, but I would have a hard time just taking [someone] random just because I thought we needed a quarterback."

A White Shaq? That is a bold comparison and proves that Middlekauff is not impressed with Pickett as the NFL legend's replacement.

Big shoes to fill for Kenny Pickett with the Steelers

NFL Combine Kenny Pickett

It will be tough for any quarterback to fill Roethlisberger's big shoes in Pittsburgh. He won two Super Bowls and gave the franchise stability under center for nearly two decades.

The point Middlekauff seems to be making is that the team went from a prototypical big quarterback to one who attracts criticism because of his small hands. Calling him "random" is intense, but it does remain true that Pickett has a lot to prove.

The alternatives with the pick would have been Malik Willis, Matt Corral, or Desmond Ridder. However, no one could immediately show up and live up to the hype of Roethlisberger. For now, Pickett will compete with Trubisky to determine which of the two will lead the team in 2022.

Like Shaq in the NBA, Roethlisberger was a rare specimen in the NFL. But new players arise all the time, and Pickett is looking to chart his own course as a star for the Steelers.

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