We keep hearing it over and over again. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kenny Pickett were a match made in heaven. It's an easy thought to complete when you think about why the Steelers and Pickett are such a solid match. He's practiced in the same building as the Steelers for the past five years. He played his home college games at Heinz Field. He was considered the most NFL ready by scouts, and Pittsburgh needs a quarterback now.
Steelers.com
The list could go on and on. Wednesday, NFL.com's Marc Ross listed 10 players that found a perfect fit with the teams that drafted them.
With the 2022 NFL Draft in the rearview, former NFL personnel executive Marc Ross surveys the landing spots of this year's prospects, identifying 10 rookies in the most favorable positions to succeed in 2022 and beyond:
#1. Kenny Pickett - Pittsburgh SteelersLike Pitt product James Conner before him, Pickett has the luxury of not only staying in the same city but in the same facility as he transitions to the NFL. This familiarity will allow Pickett to focus on football and competing for the Steelers' QB1 job.
Pittsburgh has the stability -- from the coaching staff to the playmakers on both offense and defense -- to help Pickett succeed no matter when he steps foot on the field. He has all the tools as an athletic passer to help the Steelers win games as a piece of the puzzle in Matt Canada's offense. Perhaps most importantly, he has the confidence and moxie to win over the locker room and coaching staff.
The elephant in the room for the past two seasons has been whether or not Ben Roethlisberger could still sling it. Coming off of his elbow injury in 2020, Pittsburgh started 11-0. But when the weather turned cold, so did Roethlisberger's abilities. Myself included was in denial about it. As we saw in 2021, it was in fact true. He was limited and father time had finally caught up. If not for his sheer ability to will Pittsburgh to victory in the 4th quarter, they may have won a lot fewer games. Roethlisberger conducted six fourth quarter comebacks last season.
Everyone called for Matt Canada's head following the pitiful performance by Pittsburgh's offense last season. They failed repeatedly to score points, on fourth down attempts, and to be consistent in the run game. Lots of things factored into that, but one of the main ones may have been whether the quarterback could run Canada's offense.
Canada won't have any excuses now, though. He gets a quarterback in Pickett that he recruited to the University of Pittsburgh back in 2016. Canada ultimately left town before Pickett ever took a snap for Pitt, but the fit still stands today. Canada still uses the same principles for his offense, and Pickett still has the same tools.
“I feel like I fit the mold that coach [Canada] is looking for,” Pickett said in his introductory press conference. “I’m excited to get in that playbook and see what else he’s added because I know every year it’s changing.”
SI.com
