2022 NFL Draft: Making the case for Kenny Pickett to be the first quarterback off the board

Here's why Pickett has the makeup to be the first QB chosen in this draft class

Kenny Pickett can sell himself to NFL teams as a mashup of his quarterback contemporaries in the 2022 NFL Draft class. 

He has the experience of Desmond Ridder, glimpses of Malik Willis' scrambling capabilities, the long-ball strikes of Sam Howell, and the quick release of Matt Corral off play-action.

Though we're in the thick of an NFL era in which teams are chasing upside more than anything else due to the recent massive successes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Justin Herbert, being a polished and experienced passer without mega traits shouldn't completely be considered out of style. 

And it's not as if Pickett's profile suggests he's devoid of upside. He was quite creative outside of structure during his Pittsburgh career, particularly in 2021, and his arm strength got noticeably better in each of his five seasons with the Panthers. The arrow is pointing skyward. 

What Pickett accomplished in his super senior season was almost identical to Kyler Murray's 2018 at Oklahoma. Pickett went over 4,300 yards passing with 42 touchdowns to just seven interceptions in 2021, and he sat out the bowl game. 

And due to his 49 career starts in college, Pickett has a case to be the most Week 1 ready quarterback in this class. 

If he is the first quarterback off the board, it will likely be -- and frankly should be -- to the Carolina Panthers. The already-established relationship between he and head coach Matt Rhule can't be understated. Pickett was once a Temple commit when Rhule was still at the college program. Pickett never played for Rhule in college, but the assumed rapport should accelerate Rhule entrusting Pickett to take snaps early in his professional career. And Rhule, perhaps more than anyone in football, needs steady quarterback play to reestablish his job security. 

With Willis comes clear-cut risk. The same is true with Howell. Ridder is a safe option, but how good can he really become? Is he ready to be "the guy" to carry a franchise? Pickett did that in 2021 at Pittsburgh. He also boasts a strong pass-and-run victory against the Miami Hurricanes all the way back in 2017 -- a late-November upset win against the No. 2 team in the country in his second career college start as a 19-year-old freshman. 

Floor and ceiling are oft-used buzz words during the pre-draft process, and Pickett has a higher floor than anyone. Ridder doesn't have massive bust potential either. However, Pickett shouldered more of the offensive load during his Pittsburgh career -- particularly in 2021 -- than the Cincinnati quarterback did, and Pickett was more productive without making as many mistakes.

If Pickett is to be the first passer off the board, it'll be because he mixes the sense of safety that comes with a quarterback prospect with around 50 starts, and the presumed potential of a passer fresh off a monster season. Rhule needs immediate reliability from his quarterback, and if he's a player who provides glimmers of a bright future, that would be nice too.