Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett has been drawing comparisons—and contrasts—to the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow since before he was even drafted to play in the same division as the latter. It started during the Senior Bowl back in February of last year. It hasn’t stopped since then.
Former Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert drew the comparison and extended it beyond hand size. Chris Simms said that he shares mental traits with the Pro Bowler. Even Chase Claypool and for some reason LeSean McCoy (a fellow University of Pittsburgh alumnus) offered comparisons, as did Pickett’s personal QB coach. Brian Baldinger, on the other hand, felt the talent gap is too wide between the two.
The latest comparison is, in my opinion, the most significant, and it’s not necessarily because of who is making it but rather when he is making it. Pickett is in the midst of his second training camp preparing for his first season as a full-time starter. This is really our first extended look at a matured starter.
NFL draft analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah was in Latrobe yesterday to cover training camp and got a good first-hand look at the second-year quarterback. “Kenny Pickett is thinking fast & looks very confident”, he offered as an observation via Twitter. “He has some Burrow traits. He’ll take a big leap in year 2”.
It’s a tweet, of course, so there were no extended elaborations of exactly what those Burrow traits are and how many might be mechanical and physical rather than mental and emotional. Then again, it was a series of five observations from camp.
Jeremiah also offered praise for head coach Mike Tomlin, saying that he is “constantly teaching & challenging” while noting the very physical and taxing session. Of rookie tight end Darnell Washington, he’s not only “enormous” but a “smooth mover” who held his own against T.J. Watt. Finally, he said, the “[George] Pickens hype is real”, and that he “has everything it takes to be elite”.
Of the five observations, though, none is more significant to the Steelers’ future than that of the quarterback. If Pickett really plays and performs with Burrow-like traits and takes a big leap this season, then Pittsburgh really could be in business for years to come with its next great quarterback.
That is, after all, what they drafted him to be, but every team drafting a quarterback in the first round has similar hopes and expectations. Most of them prove to be wrong, and not infrequently spectacularly so. While it’s hard to get a great quarterback outside of the first round, it’s not so easy in the first either.
While he tossed a mere seven touchdown passes as a rookie in 2022, Pickett also led four game-winning drives in the second half of the season. He has consistently drawn rave reviews about his growth and development this offseason and has put together two of his strongest practices thus far of his young career. It’s not a bad time to be high on him at the moment.
