Seahawks 2022 NFL draft: 3 players Seattle should definitely avoid
By Lee Vowell
Quarterback Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
I think Kenny Pickett will have a decent career but in the same way Baker Mayfield has had a decent career. That is, Pickett will be solid but not elevate his team to championship caliber. In fact, like Mayfield, Pickett could struggle with his touchdown to interception ratio.
Before Pickett had a breakout senior season when he threw 42 touchdowns against just 7 picks, Pickett had a TD to INT ratio of 39 to 25. That isn’t in just two years; That is in three full years and an additional one where he played in four games.
In 2019, when Pickett threw 469 passes (in comparison, in 2021 he threw 497), Pickett threw just 9 picks but also only had 13 touchdown passes. That is an astonishingly low touchdown percentage of just 2.8 percent. So while Pickett was good in his final season in college, the four years before that were underwhelming.
The other thing about Pickett is his hand size. I assume most NFL fans have heard about Pickett’s hand size was measured at 8.5 inches at the NFL combine. There are no quarterbacks in the NFL with that hand size; All have bigger hands.
It’s true that Pickett played outside in Pittsburgh so he is used to bad weather and some will say he should be so comfortable with poor weather that it won’t affect his play in the NFL. But he has struggled with ball placement at times and NFL defenders move a lot faster than college ones. His ability to grasp a football, even with gloves on, and put the ball out of harm should still be questioned.
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The bottom line is, however, that the Seahawks don’t need to take a quarterback in this year’s draft. This should be one where Seattle takes a high-end cornerback or edge rusher. 2023 should be the year to take a QB. Taking a chance on Pickett, especially at pick number 9 overall, shouldn’t happen.