The Pittsburgh Steelers have been repeatedly questioned for putting as much faith into Kenny Pickett as they have been since they drafted him. Pickett has heard all the criticism too. He has dealt with it all throughout his college and NFL career, including from some NFL executives and scouts. He managed to prove everyone wrong during his time with the Pittsburgh Panthers, and now he is looking to show everyone that he can compete in a cutthroat conference that includes Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. Go Long covered this, and a lot more in a recent interview with Pickett.
Photo Credit: Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett and WR Jordan Addison celebrate while playing together at the University of Pittsburgh in 2021
While Pickett was a junior in college, he was told that he would never be anything more than a fifth-round pick in the NFL. To make matters worse, he was told that he would be better off being drafted after his junior year, since NFL scouts believed that another year of college would do nothing to his draft stock. Peyton Manning thought otherwise and advised Pickett to stay one more year.
While going into his senior year, Pickett promised that he would not only win the ACC championship, but that he would go way earlier than anyone said: the first round. He is a man of determination, and he proved it with Pitt.
“What did we do? Championship, first round. I work very hard to do what I say I’m going to do. I want to bring that to this city now. The city I’ve been in. Bring it to this team.”
Even though the media kept hyping up Malik Willis as the best quarterback of the 2022 draft and a surefire first-round pick, the Steelers ignored it and took Pickett with the 20th pick overall. Willis was the third quarterback drafted, and he was taken in the third round. After one year, the Tennessee Titans already gave up on him and traded up in the second round to draft Will Levis to be their future starting quarterback.
-544x306.jpg "Steelers Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers' Mitch Trubisky (#10) and Kenny Pickett (#8) warm up before taking on the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, PA.
Meanwhile, many media pundits are tabbing the Steelers to finally have a losing season despite the praise that Pickett has gotten from everyone around him. With how his mentality and physicality helped carry Pitt to a conference championship, it would make sense that Pickett continues to prove all the doubters wrong. He has already shown that he can handle the pressure at the NFL level.
Steelers' Pickett Has Rocky Start To Career In Pittsburgh
Pickett had a rough time to begin his NFL career. He threw three interceptions in his NFL debut, which was immediately followed by an embarrassing 38-3 loss where he took a couple of late hits and tried to fight Shaq Lawson in the process. His first career win was a game in which he suffered a concussion and Mitchell Trubisky had to finish what he started. Pickett would not see another win until after the Week 9 bye in 2022.
Jordan Schofield/Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO_PHOTO)
The duo of Steelers offensive sophomores Kenny Pickett and George Pickens is expected to take a big step together in 2023.
Even though the Steelers took the lead against the New Orleans Saints in the third quarter, that drive is considered to be the first of Pickett's game-winning drives. He was able to lead a fourth-quarter comeback drive in primetime against the Indianapolis Colts two weeks later. After that, he had back-to-back last-minute comeback drives against the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens.
No rookie has ever had back-to-back games with a comeback drive, and no rookie has ever had four game-winning drives in a single year. Even with the Steelers backed against the wall at 2-6 going into the bye week, Pickett made sure to keep improving, limit the turnovers, and lead this team to victory. He has already proven people wrong by showing how well he performs in the clutch. Pressure means nothing to Pickett.
“Are you that guy? Or, are you not that guy? Are you a phony, or not? To me, that’s where it comes out. Everyone can be confident when everything’s going great. But when s--- hits the fan, ‘OK, what kind of guy are you?’ Are you going to be diligent? Are you going to say, ‘Ah, this ain’t for me’ and not stay ultra-committed to what you’re doing? I prepared like a starter as the 3 and the 2. So, when I became the starter, the only thing that changed was the reps. “It tests mental toughness that people say they have. But do you truly have it when stuff’s not going your way? That’s the key.”
Pickett has what it takes to prove everyone wrong. He has confidence that can't be brought down. He has the desire to do what he needs to do to keep getting better. Of course, he also has the talent needed to play quarterback at the NFL level. He has done nothing but prove people wrong, and he will look to continue to prove people wrong during the 2023 season and beyond.
What do you think about Pickett's massive chip on his shoulder? Do you think he can continue to prove everyone wrong? Let us know in the comments.
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