Steel City Underground will pick an exceptional play of the game as a highlight each week of the Steelers 2023 preseason. Stay tuned as we hand-select the very best from the Black and Gold!

What a difference a year makes, right? Well, maybe not… but Pittsburgh Steelers second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett continues to progress at a pace which makes him appear to be in line as a successful heir to future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger’s throne, despite some of the NFL predictions out there.

One year ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers made Pickett the only quarterback selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Pickett was in a three-way battle for the Steelers starting quarterback job, and was taking reps as the second and third team quarterback, behind Mitchell Trubisky and oftentimes behind Mason Rudolph as well.

Both Trubisky and Rudolph saw snaps in the first two quarters of Pittsburgh’s first 2022 preseason game before Pickett entered, following a Seahawks touchdown which tied the game 17-all with 10:37 remaining in the third quarter. It would be the Steelers first drive of the second half, but the rookie would give us a glimpse of what was yet to come.

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When Pickett took the field in the third quarter, the crowd turned the atmosphere of a preseason game into a Super Bowl contending playoff bout, as the local kid gave the fans everything they could ever want. The first Pickett drive finished with five-straight completions, the last of which ended in a three-yard Jaylen Warren catch and run for a touchdown.

Pickett would finish the preseason turning heads as a potential rising star:

Highest QB Rating among rookies this preseason

Kenny Pickett 138.6
Skylar Thompson 121.3
Desmond Ridder 98.0
Brock Purdy 86.0
Malik Willis 80.5
Bailey Zappe 72.1
Sam Howell 69.1
Matt Corral 49.3 pic.twitter.com/eIbirOSJoR

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) August 23, 2022

Fast forward one season, and Pickett entered the offseason as the Steelers starting quarterback after ascending to the same by Week 4 of the 2022 regular season. With first team reps throughout minicamp and training camp, the former Pitt Panther continued to build upon his successful first preseason with a perfect preseason follow up.

Appearing in all three games during the preseason, Pickett would lead the Steelers to a 3-0 record. Despite these being exhibition games that do not count on the team’s official record, Pickett has shown plenty of promise that he can deliver the goods in games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, and Atlanta Falcons, facing a variety of starters and backups. The result was something perfect in execution:

#Steelers QB Kenny Pickett just finished his 2023 pre-season and he's been sensational 🔥

Perfect 158.3 QB Rating

13 of 15 Passing
199 Yards
2 TDs
0 INTs
86.6 %
13.2 Yards Per Attempt
5 Drives, 5 TDshttps://t.co/OpBS2lPcd4 pic.twitter.com/mKRElJVg1o

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 25, 2023

The excitement for what Pickett brings to the Steelers this season is best exemplified by seeing him in action. While preseason is considered exhibition play, the Steelers were able to get off to a hot start thanks to successful opening drives that showed glimpses of what the upcoming 2023 NFL regular season may hold for Pittsburgh fans.

Below are some of the top throws that Pickett completed in this year’s preseason games. Enjoy!