Overreactions from Steelers Nation: Kenny Pickett is/isn’t a franchise quarterback
Welcome to my weekly edition of “Overreactions from Steelers Nation” a weekly column where I poke fun at fans, reporters, and so-called experts while trying to figure out if some of these hot takes are real – or just for attention.
I wanted to preface this week’s column by stating I wasn’t on board with drafting a rookie quarterback – at least spending the capital that teams typically do in order to acquire “their guy”.
Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, I had this gut feeling that Kenny Pickett wouldn’t be around at pick 20, and that the Steelers wouldn’t pull a move like the Rams, Eagles, or 49ers had in recent years, to move into the top picks to get him either.
That left me with dread, as I felt the team would jump the gun on drafting a quarterback for the sake of drafting one. Nearly all casual fans believe in the “first round” magic of taking a passer, but more often than not, those picks don’t live up to expectations.
Such is the case for two of those picks, as Jared Goff and Carson Wentz no longer play for the Rams or Eagles. Trey Lance may also be in a quarterback controversy following one year of sitting behind Jimmy Garropolo and now another where an injury led to Garropolo and now, Brock Purdy, playing well.
Even career trajectories between first overall picks Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow couldn’t be more different than one another.
Alas, I was resigned to the fate that the Steelers would take a quarterback, and I felt that Liberty’s Malik Willis was the one who would be available when they were on the clock. It’s not that I thought Willis was a superior talent, but that the Steelers often fall in love with picks so much that it becomes painfully obvious who they’re going to draft.
(For the record, my pick was Jordan Davis: who would go to the Eagles with pick 13 overall. Philadelphia was settled on their current quarterback, Jalen Hurts, although many still didn’t see him as a franchise player at the position.)
Hence my surprise that Pickett was there at pick 20 – and wisely, Pittsburgh jumped at the chance to take him. It made too much sense, as he was the only “pro ready” quarterback in his draft class, and obviously the top prospect. It also cost the Steelers nothing additional to give him a shot, when other teams are shooting themselves in the foot over and over at any opportunity to find a quarterback.
But then came my doubts. Small hands. One good college season.
19 other picks where teams passed on Pickett. Could they be right? Or did the Steelers have some inside knowledge the others didn’t? I had to remember that’s not how this organization operates.
Maybe they also got lucky that it wasn’t a stellar class of passers, according to many analysts, and that some of the other teams drafting ahead of them had a QB in place, or other needs. Several teams who could’ve used a quarterback – and had multiple picks to do so – had passed on Pickett, including the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Houston Texans.
Hopefully the Steelers made the right call, but at least they didn’t waste their future to find out – that’s what I told myself as training camp rolled around, and Pickett began working as QB3 in practices. He didn’t pop off of the page at first, but I still wanted to be patient with his progress: so much so, that I was banging my fist to have him sit his entire rookie season, backing up Mitch Trubisky in order to observe and learn.
By the second week of the preseason, I was over that thought. Pickett showed enough to me, while Trubisky showed far less, that I felt the future is now. Start Kenny was the battle cry, but we wouldn’t get our wish until Week 4 when Trubisky was benched against the Jets.
Pickett would throw three interceptions in one half of football. He would get his first start the following week in a 38-3 drubbing by the Buffalo Bills, and then was knocked out of a Trubisky-led victory against Tampa Bay after. The rookie would return in a primetime outing against the Dolphins that saw him have another three-interception performance.
The jury was out, even after four games: this guy wasn’t it and never will be, as the team dropped another bad loss as Kenny threw an interception against in a 35-13 game against the Eagles.
Then the bye week came. Suddenly, the schedule provided opportunities for wins. Pickett would go five weeks without throwing an interception, and only one since the bye. Over that course of time he would complete 61.5% of his passes for 1,247 yards, four touchdowns and the one pick. He also ran for a score too.
The Steelers would go 6-2 during that stretch, including one start by Trubisky (as Pickett was in concussion protocol) to flip the script of an earlier 2-6 start to the season. Sitting at 8-8, and following not one, but two game-winning, come from behind drives in consecutive weeks, fans have dropped the “bust” talk for “franchise” chatter.
While I was never ruling Pickett’s progression out by calling him a bust, I’m also not so quick to coronate him the second coming either. There’s too many kneejerk reactions from a “win now” mentality to decide either way.
The pattern is that he is showing improvement each week, but as most rookies go, he still doesn’t have that defining game statistically. There are no 400-yard passing games or one where he’s thrown multiple touchdown passes.
Yet, it’s hard to deny the intangibles are there. The leadership, the determination and the poise to not fold under pressure. His decision making progresses each week. A return to full health by the Steelers defense, along with a resurgent run game, have also aided Pickett’s cause.
With one week to go, the Steelers sit at 8-8 with a chance to make the postseason. They may also spoil opponents of Mike Tomlin, as the head coach is still in the running to have an unprecedented 16th season with a winning record.
Regardless of the outcome, this is only the beginning of Kenny Pickett’s story. We can’t say for sure he’s going to be a good one or a bad one – plenty of one-hit wonders have fooled us before.
However, he has given the Steelers promise. They won’t have to go fishing for a franchise quarterback among the sea of shark-infested waters that is the NFL Draft. They won’t have to turn to also-rans to lead the charge, such as Mitch Trubisky. And they won’t have to long for the days that Ben Roethlisberger ran the offense, as it appears likely, at least for the moment, that Pittsburgh may have gotten their guy.
It took patience to get to this point. It will take patience to wait and see if Pickett is, or isn’t, the future of the franchise as well. Just don’t ask me to choose a side until we get to see a full season with him under center.
