It was an interesting year for backup quarterbacks in the NFL (including for the Pittsburgh Steelers), but particularly for the San Francisco 49ers. Their season came to a screeching halt, as Josh Johnson became their fourth string starting quarterback due to injury. The original starting QB Trey Lance was sidelined early in the season, but 49ers fans found comfort in the fact that they had a familiar face Jimmy Garoppolo stepping in as the signal-caller. Fans' worst fear came true when Garoppolo suffered a season-ending injury Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins. The fate of the 49ers season now depended on the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy.
Purdy shocked the nation as he took full reign of the 49ers offense with confidence and led them to the NFC Championship Game. Without the injury bug infesting San Francisco, this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy, could’ve remained just that - irrelevant. One AFC North team, however, knew Purdy had it in him from the start.
With Steelers starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger retiring after 18 seasons, the black and gold had big shoes to fill during the 2022 off-season. The Steelers jumped into action by signing former second overall pick, Mitch Trubisky, on the first day of free agency. Many wondered if the Steelers were all in on Trubisky to be the future, but that question was quickly answered as Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert began shopping around for the QB position at various Pro Days. The main storyline revolved around University of Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett versus Liberty University’s Malik Willis. The Steelers ultimately went with next door neighbor, Pickett, as their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. What’s easy to forget is that this wasn’t the only quarterback that the black and gold drafted in 2022.
South Dakota’s Chris Oladokun was selected by the Steelers as the 241st pick in the seventh and final round of the draft. Oladokun showed promise throughout rookie training camp, but he ultimately did not make the roster as the Pickett, Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph quarterback competition took priority. Oladokun was later signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as a member of the practice squad. When the Steelers selected Oladokun in the seventh round, Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy was still on the board waiting to be picked up.
As it turns out, the Steelers had interest in Purdy from the start. Gerry Dulac from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had this to say:
“[The Steelers] were impressed when they interviewed Purdy at the scouting combine and saw how he could go back and re-diagram a play they gave him minutes earlier. They actually thought Purdy might even go earlier in the draft, like the fourth or fifth round.”
It’s interesting to think about how the future of the franchise could’ve been altered with Purdy being taken off the board at the 241st pick, rather than Oladokun. With the future unclear in Pittsburgh with Trubisky and Rudolph, the Steelers would benefit from a player like Purdy on the roster. As we’ve learned from Tom Brady, universally known as the greatest of all-time, a late draft pick can still turn into a Super Bowl MVP.
Will Purdy be the next Brady? We'll have to wait and see. But unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, we will be watching from the sideline.
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