Should the Atlanta Falcons draft former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett?

Marcus Mariota may be the Atlanta Falcons’ current answer at the quarterback position but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone that truly believes Mariota is a long-term answer. The Titans were contenders with Mariota but that was with a solid roster and a great coaching scheme. Even in this case, Mariota ended up losing his job to Ryan Tannehill which is less of a compliment to Tannehill and more of an indictment on Mariota.

The Falcons are going to be searching for a long-term answer at the position leaving the possibility that their first-round pick is spent for a quarterback for the first time in fifteen years. Malik Willis is one option that appears to be trending upward as the draft and could be off the board before the Falcons have a selection.

Whether it is the Carolina Panthers or another surprise team trading up there is plenty of reason to think Willis could be selected before Atlanta picks with the 8th overall selection. This could leave them choosing between a non-quarterback or former Pitt QB Kenny Pickett.

Early on in the draft process, it appears that Pickett and Willis are the leading quarterbacks of the draft class.  Whether it was his fake slide that turned into an impressive touchdown scramble or making a deep flashy throw Pickett was fun to watch in college. Could he be the long-term answer for the Atlanta Falcons?

Selecting Pickett is the safe move for Atlanta without the major bust potential you would have by picking Malik Willis or Sam Howell. However, it is settling for a quarterback with a mediocre ceiling that isn’t going to step in and beat NFL-level quarterbacks from day one.

Pickett is going to be a solid starter (think Ryan Tannehill) in the right situation with a well-strucured team. Landing with Seattle or Pittsburgh is the best case scenario for the young quarterback. Atlanta doesn’t have the support system for Pickett and frankly could get a much better player with their first-round pick. In a thin quarterback class, Pickett is a reach early on in the first round, and drafting him would be a mistake for a team that has plenty of time to find an answer with Mariota under contract for the next two seasons.

As exciting as his college career was Kenny Pickett has some major concerns when it comes to his skill set translating to the next level and Atlanta isn’t a team that should consider taking a gamble on a player whose ceiling is as low as Pickett’s appears to be.