Just one season ago, Kenny Pickett was a wide-eyed rookie just trying to make a mark on a veteran Pittsburgh Steelers team, aiming to be seen rather than heard as that rookie.
Fast forward one year and Pickett finds himself in a leadership role on and off the field. At this point, he’s kind of like a grizzled veteran considering the position he plays.
So, when he speaks highly of teammates, especially younger ones, you tend to listen.
Through the first week of training camp, Pickett has been rather impressed by the Steelers’ rookie class, especially players like offensive tackle Broderick Jones and tight end Darnell Washington on offense, and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton defensively.
Appearing on the “Movin The Chains” show on SiriusXM with co-hosts Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller Friday night, Pickett praised the Steelers’ rookie class, stating he believes that the four mentioned above will be impact players in 2023 and beyond.
“Broderick’s a really talented player and you learn so much in that first spring and summer. So he’s doing a really good job of kind of picking it up. Same with Darnell Washington. Really big target, great in the running and pass pro. A guy that I think we can use different ways to kind of help open up our offense,” Pickett told Kirwan and Miller, according to audio via SiriusXM.com. “Defensive side, and I’m not playing alongside those guys, but playing against ’em. They’re really talented, Joey and Benton inside, those guys are gonna be impact players, I think early, from what I’ve seen and how talented they are.
“So I’m really excited for this rookie class to get going.”
Early returns on the rookie class in training camp are promising on both sides of the football.
Since putting on the pads at training camp Washington has become a different player entirely, leaning into his physical presence as a blocker in the run game and in pass protection to make his mark. It helps that he’s found the end zone three times, too, using his massive frame to make plays above the rim.
He’s turned heads in the last week or so and really is a unicorn, giving the Steelers a major offensive chess piece to utilize.
Jones continues to run with the second unit on the offensive line, but he’s shown improvement each and every day and really has been able to tap into his physical style once the pads came on. He’s starting to get some work with the starters, too, which is a great sign of the future of the offensive line, and for Pickett’s protection.
Defensively, Benton has been a bit quiet in camp, but he still looks like a force for the Steelers moving forward on an aging defensive line. The showstopper has been Porter though.
Porter picked off Pickett on Thursday on a great play in the two-minute drill, jumping a route, and has had a great camp to date, turning heads, generating a ton of attention and all but forcing the Steelers to put him into the starting lineup.
It’s still so early in training camp, but there’s a ton to like about the Steelers rookie class. Pickett didn’t even mention Nick Herbig either, and he’s had a terrific start to camp as a pass rusher, generating a ton of pressure and being a real problem for offensive linemen.
The 2023 draft class for Pittsburgh looked great moments after the draft finished. The group has done nothing to dim that light so far in training camp, aside from Cory Trice Jr.’s unfortunate season-ending knee injury.
