With training camp right around the corner many of the Pittsburgh Steelers players are starting to make their return to Pittsburgh. Over the weekend rookie Kenny Pickett took part in the Three Rivers Celebrity softball game hosted by Dorin Dickerson with many of his teammates. But before helping his team win the softball game with a home run, Pickett did something a little more relaxing.Fishing.
Matt Freed / Post-Gazette
Pickett joined NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala for her first episode on the all female run sports show We Need To Talk. When the topic of whether Pickett liked to go ice fishing was brought up, Pickett had an interesting response.
“I'll never do that. I don’t like the cold."
Kinkhabwala responded by asking him how he could say that considering he played at Pitt for 5 years. She then continued by touting that one of the positives she heard about him leading up to the draft was the fact that he was forced to play in all of the elements while some quarterbacks were in warm weather cities.
"Doesn’t mean I have to like it, I just know I have played in just about everything you can play in,” Pickett responded.
During the draft process the quarterbacks were all over the map. Some believed Pickett could go as high as 6th overall. Some believed he could fall into the second round. Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert believed they weren't get a chance to select Pickett. But he fell right into their laps. But Kinkhabwala asked him if he had a preference of where he would be selected.
Thank you to the @FreedomBoatClub of #Pittsburgh for taking us out, thank you to Neighbor Jim for loaning me a fishing rod, thank you to Kenny’s mom Kasey for sharing what he wrote in grade school and thank you to @kennypickett10. #Steelers fans, you’re going to 💛 him forever. https://t.co/KnmVawPTNS
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) July 20, 2022
"I think there are great fits, and I think I fit in with a lot of the schemes in the offenses that needed a quarterback. So really, I wasn’t too concerned in that aspect of it. I just wanted to go to a great organization that wanted to win, and I’m in a great spot right now with the Steelers with where we’re trending right now and with how much young talent we have, so I’m really excited to go to this team and start the season."
The debate on who would be selected first between Pickett, Malik Willis, and several others was an ongoing one. But when Pickett was the only one selected in the first round and another quarterback wasn't selected until the third round it had to make you think. Did the Steelers reach for Pickett? Could they have selected him in the second round? It seems like a very big possibility. But we won't ever know that answer. But according to Pickett it was a big deal that he was the first quarterback off the board.
"Yes. You ask anyone. As a competitor you want to be the first in anything you do. To be the first quarterback taken was awesome."
His competitive fire is apparent here. He fires back immediately as if he was expecting the question. It bodes well for the Steelers future that he has a natural swag. A natural confidence that you just can't fake.
