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The Pittsburgh Steelers selected hometown kid, quarterback Kenny Pickett, with the 20th-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Interestingly enough, Pickett was the only quarterback selected in the first round.
The Steelers were expected to pick a quarterback at pick No. 20, and they did so by selecting Pittsburgh's Pickett. While many expected Liberty quarterback Malik Willis to be chosen as the first quarterback in the draft, he went undrafted. So did other quarterbacks that could have possibly been selected in the first round, such as Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, and Matt Corral.
The last time a quarterback was selected as late as Pickett was in the 1997 Draft. The San Francisco 49ers chose Jim Druckenmiller out of Virginia Tech with the 26th-overall pick in the draft.
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The last time a quarterback wasn't selected in the first round was in 1996. During the 1996 draft, no quarterbacks were taken in the first round. It came close to happening on Thursday night before the Steelers chose to go with Pickett.
Since 1996, multiple quarterbacks have gone in the top 10 in almost every draft, and it's rare to see a quarterback not go in the top 10. It's also unusual to see just one quarterback drafted. The last time that happened was in the 2013 NFL Draft.
The last time the NFL Draft had just one QB taken in the first round was in 2013
One can tell it's a weak quarterback class when only one quarterback was taken in the first round. The last time that a single quarterback was taken in the first round was in the 2013 NFL Draft. The Buffalo Bills selected Florida State EJ Manuel with the 16th overall pick.
Manuel proved that the 2013 quarterback class was weak by being a bust. He played four seasons with the Bills and then joined the Raiders in 2017, playing one season for them.
Manuel ended his career by throwing for 58.1 percent, 3,767 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. That is not the ideal career for a quarterback taken No. 13 overall, let alone the only one in the first round.
The Steelers are hopeful that Pickett can be their next franchise quarterback. They've had Ben Roethlisberger as their quarterback for more than the last 15 seasons and have won two Super Bowls with him.
