Ahead of his keynote speech for the 2023 Pitt football kickoff luncheon, former Pitt safety and current ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick was asked his thoughts on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. Riddick, who has been high on the Steelers’ chances in 2023 throughout the offseason, thinks that Pickett is going to quiet the doubters this year in his second NFL season.
“Sky’s the limit. But Kenny’s doing exactly what you expect Kenny to do. Talk about football character, personal character. Is there a better person than Kenny Pickett? You tell me,” Riddick said said via Amanda Godsey on YouTube He will advance cerebrally, mentally, because that’s what happens from year one to year two when you’re able to back off, kind of break down your game, break down the opponent’s game, and kind of understand how you fit into your own offense and how you can get better.”
Across the board, the Steelers offense has a lot of talent, and a lot of young talent. Riddick touched on Pittsburgh’s offense in addition to Pickett’s leadership ability.
“You’ve seen how George Pickens looks. George Pickens is gonna go to the Pro Bowl this year. George Pickens may be a first-team All-Pro,” Riddick said. “And that’s not even talking about how good Diontae Johnson is, Najee Harris is, Pat Freiermuth is. They’ve got studs everywhere. But Kenny is that guy who stands up straight, square shoulders, looks people in the eye, and the team respects it. They respected it from Day One.”
Riddick doesn’t think we’ll be hearing a lot from Pickett’s haters this season.
“Kenny’s gonna shut a lot of people up this year.”
If Pickett’s preseason performance is any indication, that’s certainly going to be the case. He had a perfect passer rating and led the Steelers offense to five touchdowns in the five drives he played over the team’s three wins. Both of his passing touchdowns were of the explosive play variety, a 33-yard strike to Pickens, who Riddick and a 25-yard dart over the middle to Freiermuth.
The explosive play element of Pittsburgh’s offense is something we rarely saw last year, and that was the biggest sign of growth out of Pickett. We didn’t see him push the ball downfield much last season, but in the preseason, he went through his progressions better and often opted for the deeper route. His ball placement was awesome, and if he can carry his preseason performance into the regular season, the jump he’s going to make and the jump this Steelers offense will make in turn is going to be a big one.
Growth from Pickens is also going to make Pickett’s life easier. If he can ascend to a No. 1-quality receiver, then the Steelers will essentially have two top guys in Pickens and Johnson. Riddick seems to think Pickens can become one of the best receivers in the league this season, and while those expectations are lofty, the fact he’s added more to his route tree and seems to have improved beyond just being a contested-catch guy means there’s a chance it becomes reality.
As a Pittsburgh guy by way of New Jersey, Riddick is someone who’s spent a lot of time around Pickett and the Steelers, but his comments on Pickett’s leadership really stood out. Riddick’s been around him since his days at Pitt, so he’s the rare analyst who has seen first-hand how a guy has operated as a leader and commanded a locker room throughout his college and pro days.
Pickett’s teammates have routinely praised his leadership and command, going back to last preseason, which is something Riddick also noted. It’s clear that he has a lot of respect in Pittsburgh’s locker room, which is extremely important for a young quarterback.
The Steelers offense wasn’t impressive last season. It’s why it’s a little bit hard to fully buy into all the hype that the unit is getting after three preseason performances. But there was a lot of growth shown from the guys who needed to show it. Pickett proved he can let it rip downfield, Pickens showed he can win on non-go routes, while also still being able to make a contested catch over corners, like he did against the Falcons last night. The offensive line showed improvement, and there really wasn’t much not to like.
The offense is going to be better this year. Pickett just might shut a lot of people up with his performance. He’s improved physically and mentally, and his respect in that locker room could really help take this team far. The Steelers made smart, veteran additions, adding guys like Allen Robinson II and Isaac Seumalo, who can also take charge and lead in their respective rooms. Nothing they did was super flashy, but it was a rock-solid offseason and it’s hard not to see how this team takes a leap and really makes some noise in 2023.
We’ll get a clearer picture of how the Steelers look when their regular season kicks off on Sept. 10, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a really fun season in Pittsburgh.
Watch the full interview below:
