Kenny Pickett joined Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson on a training camp episode of their All Things Covered podcast, and heading into his second season, Pickett addressed where he thinks his biggest areas of growth have been.
“Growth for me, I think it’s more mental than physical. I think that there’s definitely physical things that I think I improved on. Pocket footwear, pocket awareness, getting through my [reads] when you get into the mental aspect of it, reading defenses, understanding situations. I think that’s something I really see that jumps out on tape for me coming from last season into this one,” Pickett said.
“Even from spring to now, I feel like I’ve taken a jump. Just understanding our system and how to attack what you guys are doing defensively and move us down the field. I think I’m heading in that direction, but there’s definitely more steps I wanna take.”
Pickett’s talked about how going up against Pittsburgh’s defense and its disguised coverages has helped him get better with his reads. He’s someone who, like most quarterbacks, will progress in that area of his game the more he plays.
Even last season, he talked about the game slowing down for him after the bye week, and that’s when Pickett and the Steelers played their best football, going 7-2 post-bye. You could credit Pickett with a 6-1 record given he missed the team’s win over the Carolina Panthers and most of the team’s loss against the Baltimore Ravens. He was thrown into the fire a bit as a rookie, coming in at halftime in Week Four and learning a little bit on the fly, so having time to sit and watch film and really understand what he’s seeing is something that’s surely helped Pickett.
He’s got a lot of expectations on his shoulders heading into his second season, with the Steelers a team that’s built to have success in 2023. The offensive line improved and the team added a veteran slot receiver in Allen Robinson II. That coupled with the return of Calvin Austin III from injury should make the receiving corps better. This team can realistically go as far as Pickett can lead them, and if he shows real growth from his rookie season, the Steelers should be a team that can compete in the postseason.
Pocket awareness is one of the biggest areas of growth Pickett has to show in 2023, and it sounds like it’s something with which he’s getting more and more comfortable. He struggled with turnovers in the first half of the season last year, but as he improves his mental and understanding of defenses better, that’s an issue that shouldn’t be a concern this year.
He only threw one pick after the bye last season so it’s something he showed growth in throughout the season. I wouldn’t be too concerned about Picket turning the ball over in 2023. His development is one of the biggest keys for Pittsburgh’s success this season, and I’m excited to see how he looks when the games start to matter.
