Over the last few seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has had a lot of labels placed on him within the media.
Heisman Finalist; Fake Slide Guy; Small Hands Quarterback; Just A Guy (JAG).
Former Steelers safety and NFL analyst Ryan Clark has a new one for Pickett entering his second season in the NFL: complete quarterback.
In a breakdown alongside Dan Orlovsky on ESPN’s NFL Live Monday of Pickett’s 25-yard strike to tight end Pat Freiermuth in Saturday night’s 27-15 win over the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium, Clark was rather impressed by Pickett’s ball placement and more.
“…Mina Kimes talked earlier on the show about Kenny Pickett needs to get better throwing between the numbers. We’ve seen him move up in the pocket and make throws; we’ve watched him hit George Pickens as well. He is showing us that he is a complete quarterback,” Clark said, according to video via Orlovsky on Twitter. “It’s not just about the fake slide or the small hands anymore, guys. Kenny Pickett is taking over where Ben Roethlisberger left off, and the Pittsburgh Steelers can be a major player in the AFC North and the playoff picture.”
The throw to Freiermuth up the seam between linebacker Matt Milano and safety Jordan Poyer was a thing of beauty. Ball placement was superb, as was the anticipation on the play, throwing Freiermuth open while protecting him in the process.
Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora broke down the play himself in an article for the site on Sunday morning and was rather impressed with the play from Pickett as well, writing “Pickett read the coverage, knew where to go, and threw his man open. That’s high-level stuff. Put that under the category of ‘making the jump’ plays Pickett will need more of in 2023.”
Coming out of his rookie season, Pickett was impressive in some areas of the game, namely his accuracy and abilities in big moments to get the job done. He led four fourth-quarter comebacks and three game-winning drives in the second half of the season, helping Pittsburgh finish 9-8 on the season after a 2-6 start.
Entering Year Two, expectations are high and Pickett has done nothing in the preseason to temper those expectations. In three drives in the preseason, Pickett is 9-0f-11 for 103 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Steelers on three scoring drives overall. It might just be preseason, but there’s a different look to Pickett overall in the pocket and on the move.
He’s in complete command and his confidence is sky-high. That’s dangerous for a young quarterback, and it’s drawing attention across the NFL landscape. He has all the tools necessary to be a great quarterback, especially the most important one: between the ears. Clark sees a complete quarterback. Maybe the rest of the NFL will, too, this season.
If that happens, Pittsburgh will be a real problem not only in the AFC North, but in the AFC playoff picture overall.
