Drafting a player is like formulating a hypothesis in a scientific experiment. You know what you think the answer is, but it takes time and a lot of effort to find out if you’ve actually hit the mark. While the Kenny Pickett experiment remains ongoing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, however, onlookers are growing increasingly comfortable speculating their hypothesis, that he is a franchise quarterback, is correct.
The latest to weigh in has no small amount of bias, I grant you, but his football acumen is rightly respected. Not only is Merril Hoge a former Steeler, he currently works for the team as a scout, so impartiality is not possible. He’s not going to trash a current player on the roster. But I believe he believes what he’s saying when recently telling The Zach Gelb Show that he believes that’s who Pickett is—or rather, “he clearly has a shot”.
“He doesn’t have to carry the load, but he does have a real special skill set that will allow him to be very successful in this league”, he told Gelb. “He has the skill set to help you win a championship”.
The 20th-overall selection out of Pitt in the 2022 NFL Draft, Pickett started 12 out of 13 games played for the Steelers last season, posting a 7-5 record as starter, though he hardly played in one of the losses. While his overall numbers were unremarkable—a 7-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio stands out—he found ways to win games as the year went on.
Pittsburgh went 7-2 after the bye week with Pickett starting all but one of those games. In those he started and finished, they posted a 6-1 record. Four of those wins featured a game-winning drive that he authored, including back-to-back wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens.
This offseason has seen unanimous praise come Pickett’s way, or so it seems. Most of that through minicamp involved talking up his growth as a leader on and off the field, but the first two preseason games have allowed the average fan to see his progress as a passer.
Though his body of work has been limited to just 17 plays over three drives, that work has produced three touchdowns, including two explosive-play passing touchdowns from Pickett. He connected with WR George Pickens in the first game on a 33-yard catch-and-run, throwing him open between two defenders on a slant.
On Saturday, he again found TE Pat Freiermuth over the middle on a back-shoulder connection, throwing him open for a 25-yard touchdown.
Overall, he has completed 9 of 11 pass attempts for 113 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 10.3 yards per pass attempt. He has a quarterback rating of 149.0 and has navigated the pocket well, hitting throws on the move while avoiding pressure.
Can that translate into the regular season? That’s the question, but his accuracy, which Hoge praised, has been impressive. One key step that many college quarterbacks never take is figuring out how to throw an NFL receiver open. They rarely had to do that against a student-athlete defense.
“Accuracy is just like speed. It’s a gift”, Hoge said. “Kenny is accurate. He processes things really well. He’s decisive with his decision-making”. Pickett has all the intangibles that you look for, he added. While he acknowledged that the Steelers need to have the team around him to allow him to flourish, his conclusion was simple: the Steelers very well may have their franchise quarterback.
