Have you ever watched the family television series America’s Got Talent? My family and I would gather around the TV on weeknights to watch the auditions of people from around the world, seeing numerous people with various special gifts perform on stage in-front of the judges. During these auditions, several contestants would stick out from the crowd, becoming a star overnight thanks to their impressive performances.
The same thing happens in football as some players come into the league relatively quietly before breaking out as a star in their second or third season. Alex Kay of Bleacher Report recently published a piece highlighting one player from each position who will explode into stardom in 2023 and chose Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett as the quarterback he believes will steal the spotlight this coming season.
“Pickett—the lone quarterback selected in the first two rounds of last year’s draft—may not have posted big numbers in his first NFL season, but he showed he’s a capable signal-caller who can lead his team to wins,” Kay wrote. “With a full offseason to prepare as the starter, he should see his stats significantly improve while he pushes to take the Steelers back to the playoffs following a one-year layoff. With quality pass-catchers like Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth and fellow sophomore George Pickens surrounding him, and an improved offensive line bolstered by the addition of first-round pick Broderick Jones, expect Pickett to greatly improve on the 2,404 passing yards and seven touchdowns he posted in 13 games last year.”
The potential 2023 breakout for Pickett has been thoroughly vetted the last several months by numerous media outlets, which are just catching up to what all Steelers fans witnessed to conclude the 2022 season. While Pickett’s counting stats weren’t spectacular, the results were in the fact that Pittsburgh went 7-2 after their bye week with Pickett leading the way on offense, showing leadership and poise in the heat of the moment with clutch fourth quarter victories against the Raiders and Ravens in back-to-back weeks.
Given all the offseason acquisitions made on the offensive line and at the skill positions to help support Pickett in 2023, Pickett finds himself in prime position to make that leap forward this season and show the rest of the league he has what it takes to be a franchise QB. He doesn’t have really any excuses (albeit OC Matt Canada continues to hold this offense back) as he has the running game, pass catchers, and defense to help him succeed.
Kenny Pickett’s production should notably improve this season as the full-time starter as well as his yards per attempt and passing TDs. Other QBs like Chicago’s Justin Fields and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa could have been nominated for this spot but given Pickett’s opportunity to take a massive leap forward in his play as well as the opportunity to make some noise in the playoffs, it makes sense why Pickett was chosen as the QB who could become the next big name across the league.
