Steelers Insider Mark Kaboly Confirms Ben Roethlisberger Reached Out To 1st Round Pick Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent this off-season and 2022 NFL Draft revitalizing this roster and filling holes at positions they felt they had to. It is safe to say that this roster on paper is better than it was last season. Most would agree that the most polarizing spot and biggest question mark is the quarterback position, and who would be replacing former franchise and future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Well, the team certainly addressed the position, and did what they said they would right after the season, which was addressing the position in both the draft and free agency.

They brought in Mitch Trubisky on the first day of legal tampering, and then drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round of this year's draft, as well as Chris Oladokun in the seventh round. They now have four quarterbacks going into training camp, which also includes veteran backup Mason Rudolph. This is a new horizon for the team, who hasn't had to severely address the quarterback room in 17 years. The hype and questions primarily center around Pickett now, being the most recent first round quarterback taken by the team since Roethlisberger was taken 11th overall in 2004. Many questioned whether the very recently retired Roethlisberger would reach out to Pickett and offer any advice or mentoring. Apparently that question has been answered, per Mark Kaboly:

This is definitely welcome news to hear, as it was reported Roethlisberger had not reached out to Pickett after his initial drafting. This along with Roethlisberger's reputation for not being especially warm to younger quarterbacks during his tenure with the Steelers, it is refreshing to hear he is open to helping out and even mentoring Pickett if need be. Pickett elaborated more on what the conversation went like with the two:

Future relationship among Steelers quarterbacks Roethlisberger and Pickett

It sounds like the two are going to get along well, and that Pickett is going to be able to pick Roethlisberger's brain on just about anything. This should bode well for Pickett, as Roethlisberger holds almost every record in franchise history, and is #5 all-time in passing yards and completions, as well as #8 in all-time passing touchdowns. Definitely a resource any young quarterback would want to utilize. Pickett can definitely pick up some of the things that Roethlisberger was known for doing through most of his career such as improvisation, throwing on the run, and pushing the ball down field. He may not be as big as Roethlisberger, but he is slightly more athletic according to NFL Combine metrics.  This could bode well for him, taking some of Roethlisberger's old school play, and mixing it and adapting it to today's game.

Photo via JSKO_PHOTO (Twitter)

Pickett, along with the rest of this rookie class, began mini-camp today. He will look to begin building a rapport with his draft mates, and begin working on his craft ahead of the competition for the starting spot that awaits him come July in Latrobe. It is only day one, but reports say Pickett looked sharp, with Kaboly calling him, "cool and composed":

Again, it’s only day one, but those are definitely encouraging traits to recognize early on. He will have a lot of doubters to prove wrong, and challenges ahead, but Pickett seems poised to put his best foot forward. He will have his chance this season to become the starter, but ultimately, Pickett will have time to develop into the potential next franchise quarterback for this organization. Having Roethlisberger in his corner, and the confidence of the team and his teammates, will all be tools for him to propel himself into that position. It's up to Pickett now as to what to do with them. If he can emulate some of what Roethlisberger did for the team, the future is definitely looking bright.

#SteelerNation