I’m going to be completely honest: I wasn’t a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting QB Kenny Pickett in the 2022 NFL Draft.
I, like many other Steelers fans, were enamored with the athletic prowess of current Tennessee Titans QB Malik Willis and what he brought to the table in terms of arm strength and mobility compared to Pickett. Obviously, Pittsburgh made the right decision picking Pickett over Willis based on last season, but I still have my reservations whether Pickett can actually become “the guy” in Pittsburgh.
While he was the most “pro-ready” QB in the 2022 draft class, Pickett lacks that X-factor trait when it comes to size, athleticism, arm strength, etc. Head coach Mike Tomlin talked about how Pickett was the safe pick in the team post-pick press conference, praising his “high floor,” anticipation, and accuracy as the main reasons the Steelers were comfortable making him the selection. Sure, Pickett had a steady floor coming out of college and was the easiest projection to the NFL game of the other QB prospects, but he lacked the upside and traits to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes in the AFC to make Pittsburgh a consistent Super Bowl contender.
Steelers fans are hoping that Pickett can become the next Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, not guys like Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, or Jimmy Garoppolo, who are good enough to get you to the playoffs but aren’t good enough to get you a ring.
We have been talking about how Pickett needs to make that second-year jump in 2023 to make Pittsburgh a playoff contender all offseason. However, today I am going to lay out the path that Pickett needs to take to cement himself as Pittsburgh’s franchise QB and a respected NFL QB who competes for championships on a yearly basis.
1. Become A Card Dealer In The Pocket
Pickett was praised by both Tomlin and Kevin Colbert after selecting him for his accuracy, having played five seasons in college while capping his Pitt career with a 67.2 completion rate in 2021. He posted a respectable 63.0 completion rate as a rookie in 2022 and saw that completion percentage improve as the season wore on. However, Pickett needs to become a card dealer in the pocket, being cerebral enough to scan the field, locate the open receiver on full-field reads, and pick defenses apart as a precision passer.
Pickett has decent arm strength, but he will never have the howitzer of an arm that Allen, Mahomes, and Herbert have. Instead, Pickett will have to take a similar path of another all-time great QB: Drew Brees. Brees wasn’t the biggest QB and did not have the strongest arm, but he became surgical in the pocket as one of the best precision passers in the game. His completion percentage hovered in the mid-60s to begin his career but jumped to nearly 70.0 percent every season the Saints were in the playoffs. Pickett needs to have his completion rate near 70.0 percent to hang with the heavyweights in the NFL, beating teams with his decision making and accuracy.
2. Elevate The Pass Catchers Around Him
Last season, Pickett got thrown into the fire with an offense that struggled to get anything going for the first half of the season. The team traded away WR Chase Claypool at the trade deadline, leaving Pickett with Steven Sims and Gunner Olszewski as his primary slot receivers. However, Pickett has a small embarrassment of riches at the skill positions this season with Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson II, Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Najee Harris to throw the ball to.
Much like Mahomes and Burrow do with the pass catchers around them, Pickett must be able to elevate the game of the guys he is throwing the football to. Ben Roethlisberger did this for years in Pittsburgh, elevating the games of Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, Martavis Bryant, and others around him. If Pickett can help Pickens and/or Johnson become a 1,000-yard receiver and help Freiermuth be considered one of the best TEs in the game, he should be considered a franchise QB.
3. Win Games Because Of Him… Not In Spite Of Him
Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks often refer to QBs as either trucks or trailers on the “Move The Sticks” Podcast. Trucks are QBs who carry the teams on their back and play in a way that wills their team to victory. Trailers are QBs who need to have everything right around them to be successful, often being guys that you can win with, but not guys that you are going to win because of. Pickett needs to prove that he can be a truck and not a trailer to be Pittsburgh’s franchise QB.
What does this look like? For starters, Pickett needs to do a better job of starting games, not taking three quarters to “get a feel of the opposing defense” before magically turning it on in the fourth quarter. He needs to execute better in the red zone, getting the offense in position to score points and get into the end zone for TDs. He needs to make more plays like he did during the end of the Ravens game in Baltimore, improvising on the fly and doing whatever it takes to help his team come out on top.
Sure, Pittsburgh should have a strong defense and a physical running game for Pickett to lean on. However, he needs to show that he can put the team on his back in crucial moments of the game and be more than your average “game manager.” He needs to be the reason that the Steelers win several games, knowing that they can have a stingy defense as well as a well-rounded offense thanks to what Pickett can do as a passer.
Kenny Pickett may never be the most physically gifted QB in the NFL. In fact, I never expect him to crack the top 10 in that category. However, I do expect him to master the things he can improve if he does want to end up being the Pittsburgh Steelers’ franchise QB for the next decade.
