New Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett recently joined The Pat McAfee Show to talk about multiple topics that surround the rookie first rounder, including his relationships with the fellow quarterbacks on the roster, Mike Tomlin, Dan Marino, the Peyton Manning Passing Academy and much more.
YouTube: The Pat McAfee Show
How Did Kenny Two-Gloves Come to Fruition?
Pickett was teased by McAfee multiple times about his hand-size and how everyone was critical of his tangibles, but was ultimately asked how he transitioned from not wearing gloves to wearing both gloves:
"I do not judge this because I have plenty of friends that can throw a ball 75-80 yards with gloves on that are wide receivers," said McAfee. "It was obviously something you were judged for during the entire draft process...plenty of quarterbacks like Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Teddy Bridgewater...when did you decide to go to the two gloves and have you noticed any difference between a college ball (which is maybe a little more easy to handle) and an NFL ball while you're throwing it?"Pickett responded. "I did it once my sophomore year, but really after that North Carolina game that you [McAfee] called, I stuck with it after that game. Coach [Mark] Whipple said to me 'It doesn't have to be cold to rock the gloves,' so I wore them since then on out. It felt more comfortable, I feel great throwing the ball in the NFL too, so it's just something that I enjoy."
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 24: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) throws the ball during the team's OTA practice, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Transition from College Ball to NFL Ball
McAfee dove into the NFL to college ball comparison more, describing a situation he has where he can't throw the college ball "pretty" anymore because of the amount of time has has spent with the NFL ball. He asks Pickett if he had the same issue with his transition into the NFL:
"In the year prior, I threw the NFL ball into my training a little bit, just to have a feel for it and see how I liked it," Pickett said. "I was using both back and forth and I felt good using both. When I got to train this year, there was nothing like that. I know a lot of guys that have said that there was a little bit of a period that the ball wasn't coming out as clean as they like it and they had to get used to it, but thinking back to last year adding it into my workouts and mixing up the balls really worked out for me."
The interview with McAfee seemed to go very well. Pickett sounds like he is still easing his way into professional football life, but is doing everything he needs to do to be ready and compete:
"My dad was a big football guy who really taught me everything in terms of work ethic. When I got to college, I got into a good routine...now it's just a lifestyle. It's what I like to do and how I like to go about my day is getting that routine done. Once you become comfortable with those things, you don't even think about it, you just do it because you're chasing it and want to be the best. I want to be the best and perform at the highest level I can, and I'm putting in all the work I possibly can to be ready," Pickett concluded.
If you would like to watch the entire segment, click here and the Pickett interview starts about 20 minutes into the show.
What do you think, #SteelerNation? Do you think the gloves will be an issue for Pickett at the pro level? Will the ball being different than what he is used to playing with affect his game at all? Is Pickett taking the right approach as he enters his first professional training camp? Let me know in the comments or @anthonyravasio on Twitter.
