Kevin Colbert\u2019s final draft class was not one of his finest. In fact, it was maybe his worst. And today, it\u2019s completely gone. With WR Calvin Austin III leaving for the New York Giants and TE\/FB Connor Heyward departing for the Las Vegas Raiders, all seven selections the Pittsburgh Steelers made in the 2022 NFL Draft have exited.<\/p>\n
It\u00a0should\u00a0be pointed out that UDFA RB Jaylen Warren remains on the team. A gem of a signing, Warren signed a contract extension<\/a> ahead of the 2025 season. So Pittsburgh got something right.\u00a0But every draft pick, first through seventh round, is no longer a Steeler. Warren is also the only undrafted player to stick, too.<\/a><\/p>\n If you can stomach it, a recap:<\/p>\n First Round \u2013 QB Kenny Pickett<\/p>\n Drafted to be Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s heir, Pickett goes down as a bust. With accuracy the team overhyped and a lack of physical tools to compete at a high level, he made just 24 starts for the Steelers. Pickett protected the football, but at the cost of making meaningful plays. He threw just 13 touchdowns in 25 games, giving him one of the lowest touchdown rates in recent history.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh signed Russell Wilson ahead of the 2024 season, and Pickett asked to be traded.<\/a> The Steelers agreed and sent him off to the Philadelphia Eagles. He\u2019s since been traded twice more, Philadelphia to Cleveland and Cleveland to Las Vegas. He signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers this offseason.<\/p>\n Bad offensive personnel and even worse scheme under OC Matt Canada did Pickett no favors. But Pickett\u2019s issues weren\u2019t just a lack of talent around him. He simply wasn\u2019t the first-round quarterback Pittsburgh hoped he\u2019d be.<\/p>\n Second Round \u2013 WR George Pickens<\/p>\n Talent was never the issue. Everything else was. Pittsburgh took the chance on Pickens with his fiery temper and recent ACL tear in the second round. At his best, few could dream of the plays Pickens made look routine. Jaw-dropping catches that wowed during his first training camp and start of his NFL career.<\/a><\/p>\n But Pickens wore out his welcome. Volatile and late to seemingly everything, even games, he racked up a laundry list of fines from the team and the NFL. Teammates regarded him as sincere, but he made waves with his actions and comments, once forcing Mike Tomlin to call a rare late-week press conference to clear the air.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh traded for WR DK Metcalf last March, a clear sign that Pickens\u2019 future in Pittsburgh wouldn\u2019t last much longer. After the 2025 draft, the Dallas Cowboys increased their offer and dealt Pittsburgh a third-round pick for him. He shone in Dallas to the tune of 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. Dallas franchise-tagged him to create more time to work out a long-term deal.<\/p>\n In 48 games with the Steelers, Pickens caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns. He\u2019ll be lumped in with \u201cdiva\u201d Steelers of the era like Antonio Brown, Chase Claypool, and Diontae Johnson.<\/p>\n Third Round \u2013 EDGE DeMarvin Leal<\/p>\n Call him an outside linebacker. Or defensive end. Or defensive tackle. The Steelers didn\u2019t know what to call him, and that was precisely the problem. Pittsburgh had no plan for how to best use Leal, a tweener coming out of Texas A&M. Injuries didn\u2019t help. A 2024 neck injury ruined any slow traction he was building.<\/p>\n In four seasons on-and-off the roster, he made just six starts with 35 tackles and one sack.<\/p>\n The New York Giants signed him to a Reserve\/Futures contract<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n Fourth Round \u2013 WR Calvin Austin III<\/p>\n A rookie year wiped out by a foot injury, Austin recovered to make one splash play as a sophomore. His 72-yard touchdown helped beat the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. Pittsburgh forgot about him the rest of the season, save for the occasional jet run that irritated Steelers\u2019 fans.<\/p>\n Austin found moderate success under OC Arthur Smith, who used him to his strengths \u2013 pure downfield speed to make splash plays. He caught 36 passes in 2024 and 31 in 2025, finding the end zone a combined seven times. His 2025 scores were all clutch, fourth-quarter game-winners against the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Ravens. The touchdown against the Ravens won a Week 18 matchup, which put Pittsburgh into the playoffs.<\/p>\n He also returned punts, running back a 73-yarder against the New York Giants in 2024.<\/p>\n A new coaching staff and a desperate need to reset the wide receiver room made for a clean break. Austin\u2019s first jump into free agency was met with a quiet market, accepting an incentive-laden one-year contract<\/a> with the New York Giants on Thursday.<\/p>\n Sixth Round \u2013 TE Connor Heyward<\/p>\n Undersized for the position, Heyward\u2019s value was in his versatility. A special teamer, a tight end, an emergency running back, and quarterback of the Tush Push, Heyward found ways to contribute. With TE Pat Freiermuth battling injuries, Heyward caught 23 passes in 2023. But after drafting TE Darnell Washington, Heyward was buried on the depth chart.<\/p>\n Across 2024 and 2025, he logged only nine receptions. Two of them went for touchdowns.<\/p>\n Despite his brother staying in Pittsburgh, Heyward inked a two-year deal<\/a> to play for Klint Kubiak and the Las Vegas Raiders.<\/p>\n Seventh Round \u2013 ILB Mark Robinson<\/p>\n College running back-turned-linebacker in his senior season, Robinson had an uphill NFL battle. His physicality and mentality made him a quality special teamer, but Pittsburgh never trusted him defensively. That became evident in 2023 when the team cycled through every inside linebacker option other\u00a0than Robinson after injuries piled up. The team even brought Myles Jack out of retirement. Save for true run groupings, Robinson stayed on the sidelines.<\/p>\n He opened the 2025 regular season in New England, briefly returned to Pittsburgh, and was cut again. He spent a week in Cleveland before being cut again and remains a free agent.<\/p>\n Seventh Round \u2013 QB Chris Oladokun<\/p>\n Pittsburgh bookended its draft class with quarterbacks. Oladokun, though, never had a chance. Fourth-string on a depth chart that needed others in front to get reps, especially Pickett, Oladokun held a clipboard during training camp. He hardly saw team reps and was cut before the preseason ended, out of grace to let him find a job elsewhere.<\/a> He latched on with Kansas City and won two Super Bowls as a deep reserve.<\/p>\n Oladokun made two starts in 2025 and threw his first and, to date, only touchdown in a loss to the Denver Broncos. As far as seventh-round picks go, not a bad career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kevin Colbert\u2019s final draft class was not one of his finest. 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