Even though teams have increasingly prioritized playing players as early as possible to maximize the value of rookie contracts before they have to start thinking about actually paying those players market wages, it’s not always the case that the rookie quarterback is going to play right away.
Now, they often do, of course. Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Joe Burrow are just a few from the past two years. This year, Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback drafted in the first round—or the first two rounds—but is he going to start right away for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Not if you ask Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, based on a couple of responses that he offered during his recent chat session when asked about the Steelers’ first-round pick and the timeline for his starting.