The Pittsburgh Steelers sit at 2-0 in the preseason and have had some extremely promising play from rookie first round draft pick, Kenny Pickett. Mitch Trubisky is currently the favorite to be the starting quarterback in Week 1, although that could change. Let's rewind back to 2004 when the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger in the first round. The future Hall of Famer was not supposed to start immediately and that led to him having a ton of reps in the preseason. With that said, the organization's most recent first rounder is having a better start to his NFL preseason career than the best quarterback in franchise history.
Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
For those who like to look back in time and compare today's Steelers to past teams and players, Pickett is having a better start to his professional career than Roethlisberger did years ago. The situations for the two players are a bit different as the recently retired signal-caller was originally behind Tommy Maddox who was the starter the year prior.
Roethlisberger took over after Maddox suffered an injury in the second week of the 2004 regular season. Pickett jumps into a situation where no one is the clear-cut favorite to be on the first team.
The NFL and play-calling is much different than it was almost 20 years ago, but Roethlisberger threw the ball 27 times in the first two games of preseason action in 2004. His completion percentage was just above 59% and he threw one touchdown and an interception. He averaged eight yards per attempt while the team went 1-1 in his first two games of professional action.
Steelers' Pickett Has Been Impressive Regardless Of Him Performing In Preseason
Take preseason with a grain of salt, but the display that Pickett has put on is definitely an encouraging sign and he is making a bid to become the team's starter. His completion percentage sits above 86% and has thrown for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Not to mention, he has not turned the ball over, even with a questionable offensive line. An impressive game-winning drive against the Seattle Seahawks was followed by a strong performance Saturday evening against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Pickett was 6/7 for 76 yards and a threw a touchdown pass to Benny Snell. His outing was shorter than expected, but Trubisky now has little room for error after his competition's performance the last two weeks. The coaching staff for the Steelers is going to have to make some tough decisions surrounding all positions throughout the next few weeks, but the battle between Pickett and Trubisky is at the top of the list.
Yahoo.com
Time will tell who is going to be the leader of the Steelers offense, but Pickett is already looking better than a quarterback who will land in Canton one day in Roethlisberger. Pickett is one of the main reasons for two wins and while he may not start against the Cincinnati Bengals to begin the season, he could become a pivotal piece to the offense during the season as Roethlisberger was in 2004.
The Steelers are looking for a franchise quarterback after having the comfort of Roethlisberger for so long. If Pickett's preseason success is any indicator, the organization may have hit the jackpot once again when it comes to the most important position on the field. The 2022 first round pick has a lot to prove, but he was looked at as the most NFL-ready quarterback in his draft class. He has yet to disappoint and could be the future of Steelers football.
Are you encouraged by Pickett's incredible start to his professional career? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
