One of the things the Pittsburgh Steelers hope to accomplish with a new offensive coordinator takes precedence. That is figuring out if Kenny Pickett can be a franchise quarterback. One of their reported candidates is a former quarterback grader and evaluator for Pro Football Focus, Zac Robinson.
Currently the passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, he worked for the analytics outlet for years. His former co-worker, Steve Palazzolo, hopped on 93.7 The Fan to talk about Robinson and his potential in Pittsburgh. Starting with what he values in a quarterback.
“He noticed natural playmaking”, he said. “If a guy just feels the game. He was with us when Patrick Mahomes was coming out and he was a huge Mahomes fan. I think his comp for Mahomes was Sammy Baugh. He was firing up Sammy Baugh YouTube videos. It was hilarious, and I think he was right”.
Baugh is one of the greatest quarterbacks of the early days of football. An eight-time All-Pro, he led the league in passing four times from 1937-48. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame but also a bit out of date in 2024. So perhaps more details would make sense.
“He’s watching how a quarterback plays within structure but then outside of structure. Is it mechanical or does he just see it and feel it?”, Palazzolo said. He added that Robinson “doesn’t get caught up in arm strength” but rather how a quarterback throws the ball. Can you layer passes when you need to put zip on the ball? And more pertinent, does he think Robinson would see that in Pickett?
“My take on Pickett is always that he’s solid”, he said. “If you do get some freebies, some open throws, Pickett can execute that. I think the question’s gonna be that balance of playing within structure versus outside of structure”.
Palazzolo talked about how Matt Canada’s offense did the offense no favors, but that Pickett also missed open receivers and bailed from clean pockets. Getting Pickett to trust in what the offense is doing is something that he stressed—it’s fair to question how much trust he had in the Steelers’ system. Especially given the areas in which he regressed from his rookie season.
The Steelers invested a first-round pick in him, so they want to know for sure what they have in him. Though he has a good record as a starter, he does not produce conventionally good quarterback statistics. His touchdown percentage is particularly dire, but also arguably unsustainably deflated.
Of course, Robinson hasn’t even interviewed for the job yet and is reportedly a prime candidate to follow new head coach Raheem Morris to the Atlanta Falcons. The only candidate Pittsburgh has interviewed so far is Thomas Brown, who hasn’t inspired great confidence among fans. (Editor’s Note: The Steelers are reportedly interviewing Jerrod Johnson today for their OC job.)
As we’ve pointed out, Pro Football Focus actually is higher on Pickett than most. The site graded him higher than Mason Rudolph, for example, and generally in the middle of the pack overall.
