Former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert appeared on The Armstrong Neighborhood Channel with Ed Codi, and during the interview Colbert touched on the development of quarterback Kenny Pickett.
“We always talked about that second year. That’s usually a nice take-off year for those rookies. We watched Kenny Pickett grow from backup into an inexperienced starter. By the end of the year, he was a more experienced starter and a better player,” Colbert said. “So I believe that, if Kenny picks up where he left off, I think the team will continue to progress and they’ll have a successful season for sure.”
Pickett was Colbert’s last first-round pick as the Steelers general manager, and as of now it looks like it was a hit. Colbert and the Steelers front office were tasked with finding a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger and went with Pickett, who helped lead the Steelers to a 9-8 record as a rookie.
While he struggled with turnovers early in his tenure as starter and looked inexperienced as Colbert said, he improved as the season progressed. After the bye week, Pickett looked like he could be Pittsburgh’s quarterback of the future. He was clutch, leading back-to-back game-winning drives culminating with a touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter in Weeks 16 and 17 and ran the offense well.
As Colbert said, the second season is a good take-off year. Guys have a full offseason where they generally know their role and know what the NFL entails, and that should be no different for Pickett. Unlike his first season, when he spent the offseason and preseason in a three-way quarterback competition, he’s firmly entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback. He knows what it takes to win in the NFL, and he’s expected to progress.
The Steelers will still be a team that relies on their run game more than most, but Pickett’s play is going to be a determining factor into how good they are this season. If he takes that leap, they should be a team that can win 10 or 11 games and make the playoffs. If he can show that he can be a solid starter and a franchise quarterback, Colbert’s last draft will have been a major success.
Pickett’s been working hard this offseason and I’m optimistic about his chances of succeeding this year. He’s shown he can win games and be clutch. If he can put it all together for a full four quarters, he’ll be fine and the Steelers will be good. He has more weapons and an improved offensive line, and I’m excited to see him get to work this season.
