On paper, the weight of drafting a quarterback versus a kicker doesn’t seem the same. Miss on a kicker, and it might cost you a game. Miss on a quarterback, and it might cost your job. And the evaluation process for a team’s next franchise quarterback is far more in-depth than it is for a specialist, who has far fewer layers to evaluate.
But for Pittsburgh Steelers’ Area Scout Mark Bruener, there is one thing he wants to see from both positions. Do you have experience in the cold?
Joining the Sports Untold podcast earlier this week, Bruener described what he’s looking for.
“With kickers and punters, at least for us, I want to see if they’ve been exposed to cold weather, cold temperatures,” he told host Paul Schneiderman. “If you’re a Florida kicker for instance, I’m just making this up, you’ve never experienced any cold weather, never seen snow before, that can be pretty traumatic…quarterbacks, I like to see them throw in adverse situations. Again, you’re in Los Angeles, Arizona, you’re not going to see a lot of cold weather games.”
When it comes to Pittsburgh, December and January weather can define the team’s stretch run. This season was a prime example. Their last two games battled Mother Nature as much as they did the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills. In the regular season finale, the Steelers played in the pouring rain. In a game that featured eight combined fumbles, the Steelers used a late takeaway for an insurance field goal to hold on and beat the Ravens 17-10, a critical victory to help send Pittsburgh into the playoffs.
The team’s Wild Card game was postponed a day due to a Buffalo blizzard. While conditions were far better on the Monday the two teams played, bitter cold and wind were still issues. Not everyone is equipped to handle the cold. Some players just flat-out hate it.
Experience in the elements was one reason why the Steelers expressed confidence in Pitt QB Kenny Pickett, playing in ugly Acrisure Stadium weather. It also alleviated any potential concerns over his hand size, the team comfortable with how Pickett performed in slippery conditions during his college career.
“You gotta hunt and peck and try to be selective when you’re looking at some of these guys if they’re going to be able to play in the elements,” Bruener said.
Of course, it doesn’t mean the Steelers won’t pick a player who hasn’t seen a winter dip into freezing temps. The last two punters Pittsburgh has drafted have been from the South, Georgia Tech’s Pressley Harvin III in 2021 and Baylor’s Daniel Sepulveda in 2007. And kicker Chris Boswell played college football at Rice, a Texas kid through and through. Like all aspects of the draft, dealing with the elements is just one part of the team’s evaluation.
