The Steelers didn't hide their intentions in terms of looking at this year's quarterback class in the NFL Draft.
The researched them all -- a lot.
And then they selected Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, making him the first quarterback selected.
Pickett, 23, becomes just the fourth quarterback to be selected by the Steelers in the first round in the modern era, joining Terry Bradshaw, Mark Malone and Ben Roethlisberger.
"We circled the globe, or at least the United States, the last several months, exploring and researching, and it’s funny that we ended up with the guy next door," said Mike Tomlin. "We're excited about it. We just are. To be able to not only know what he's capable of, but to see his process, his developmental process. Boy, we're just excited."
The Steelers keep Pickett at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex, which they share with the Panthers. Pickett, a native of New Jersey, joined the Pitt program in 2017 and made one start that season, leading the Panthers to an upset over Miami.
"To be honest I was speechless. It's a lifelong -- 23 years of hard work to get to this point, and that all came in a phone call," Pickett said. "It was probably one of the best moments of my life, and I'm so excited to get started and get to work with the guys who are next door to me my whole career with the Pittsburgh Panthers."
Pickett took over at the full-time starter the following season and stayed on in 2021, taking advantage of the COVID-19 rules that granted players an additional season of eligibility.
The Steelers had not hidden their potential desire to acquire a quarterback in this draft. But despite a number of trades above their selection Thursday night, they stayed the course and did not accept any of the trade offers to move up or down.
Pickett's selection marked the latest the first quarterback has been taken in a draft since the 49ers selected Jim Druckenmiller 27th in 1997. Pickett also was the first Pitt player selected in the first round since three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald in 2014.
"We were surprised that all of the quarterbacks were available at that pick," said Kevin Colbert. "Not to take anything away from the other quarterbacks, but Kenny was at the top of our list."
Pickett benefitted greatly from returning to Pitt in 2021, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting after leading Pitt to an ACC Championship by throwing for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
"You watched him grow over the years. And quite frankly, we're sometimes more critical of the Pitt guys because we see them from freshmen on up. And sometimes we're too critical at times," Colbert said. "We talk about that. Sometimes some of the other players, you catch them as sophomores and juniors and you just don't see them as much. Honestly, Kenny developed. Obviously, Kenny developed and had a good senior year. It was a good move for him to stay in school.
"That just talks and preaches about what you can do when you stay and continue to develop and turn into a first-round pick. Kenny, he's special. We watched him when he came in as a freshman, and he continued to just grow into the great season that he had."
That was more touchdown passes than Pickett had thrown in his first four seasons combined.
"He looked into coming out last year, but when he announced he was going back, it was like, 'OK, this guy feels like he has something to prove,' " said Colbert.
Pickett did that, improving his draft status from that of a late-round pick to being a player the Steelers expect to compete for a starting job in 2022.
Roethlisberger retired at the conclusion of the 2021 season, leaving a void at quarterback for the Steelers for the first time since 2004. The Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky in free agency and still have Mason Rudolph, a 2018 third-round draft pick, on the roster, as well.
"He is 24. He does have that experience," said Tomlin. "He's a mature young man. All of those things are going to put him in position to compete.
"He'll be given an opportunity to compete, certainly."
Pickett looks forward to that competition.
"I'm pretty familiar with competing. I've been doing it my whole life," he said. "So, I know how to be a good teammate and compete at the same time. I'm excited to join the quarterback room, get to know those guys and honestly just get better every day. We're all chasing a championship, so at the end of the day that's all that matters. That's what I'm excited to go do."
There will be added pressure in this situation. Colbert noted that Pickett will be facing a different kind of pressure than he had on the other side of the UMPC-Rooney Sports Complex.
But, Colbert noted that the pressure won't come from his teammates. If Pickett can play and can help the Steelers win, he'll be accepted.
Pickett is ready to take that on and also has a leg up on most rookies. The Steelers are running Matt Canada's offense. Canada, now the Steelers offensive coordinator, was Pitt's coordinator when Pickett was recruited to Pitt but left for LSU before the 2017 season began.
Pitt, however, continued to run that offense.
"It's the National Football League, man, so there's pressure always," Pickett said. "I love playing football. I love playing the game. This has been my whole entire life. I'm so excited to get with new teams, new coaches. Matt Canada, who I was recruited by, I can finally play with him and get coached by him. We're going to be spending a hell of a lot of time together to say the least. So, I'm incredibly excited to get there. But the pressure is always there. It's the business."
The only difference is that now, he'll be getting paid to play football -- in the same stadium in which he played as a collegian.
"I don't know how weird it's going to be because every time I walked off Heinz Field, the two practice fields, the farthest end, I've envisioned myself being at the two practice fields as soon as you walk out of that facility," Pickett said. "I'm right where I said I would be, and I knew I would be. It was five years of college, but honestly since I was five years old, I've been working towards this. So, I'm exactly where I thought I would be, and I can't wait to get to work."
One of the knocks against Pickett by draft analysts was his hand size. They measured in at his pro day at 8 1/2 inches. The ideal minimum for NFL quarterbacks is 9 inches.
But that was not a concern for the Steelers, who had seen Pickett handle all types of weather at Heinz Field.
"Honestly, I never paid attention to it," Colbert said. "I believe it was the Clemson game, and there were other scouts here, and they said, 'you know he's got a small hand?' And I said, 'no, thanks for sharing.' But it really didn't matter because it was never a factor. His fumble rate was not anywhere near a problem. He could certainly throw the football. Sometimes we get hung up on all that analytical measurements and short arms and long arms and so on and so forth. I just want to see the results."
In the end, the Steelers looked at Pickett's floor -- the lowest point of his potential -- and saw that it was the best of this group of quarterbacks.
They feel he can be a long-term starter in the NFL given his maturity, ability to throw the ball and read defenses.
"We talked about his high floor, and the high floor was because of the intangibles but also the anticipation and the pro accuracy were very obvious and consistent when studying his tape,” said Tomlin.