Back in April of 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected quarterback, Kenny Pickett 20th overall in the NFL Draft. Following the retirement of a franchise legend, Ben Roethlisberger, the organization was looking ahead and hoping to take the new guy to lead the offense for the next 10-15 years. He has gotten better each week and shown a great amount of growth, particularly in the last two weeks. The young signal-caller led the offense to game-winning drives twice in back to back games which had him throwing a touchdown pass in the final minute of the contests, making him the first rookie to ever do that.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Kenny Pickett #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 1, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Analysts all over several networks have looked at Pickett's play since he became the starter in Week 5. It started out inconsistent, which is what anyone would expect from a first-year quarterback who didn't get a ton of first team reps in practice during the regular season. Since the bye week, however, he has thrown four touchdowns to just one interception and has facilitated the offense in an impressive turnaround.
Former New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl winning coach, Sean Payton joined Colin Cowherd on The Herd and the two discussed Pickett and what the offensive guru, who is likely to be a coach again within the next year or so, has seen from him thus far. He spoke about his presence on the football field:
"I see football intelligence. I see someone who processes quickly. He certainly has it," Payton said.
Steelers starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) prepares to take a snap at Acrisure Stadium in his first regular season action against the New York Jets. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Payton continued complimenting Pickett and specifically talked about how he can see that the people on the sidelines and in the locker room believe in him:
"When we try to find intangibles with his teammates, you can tell. You can watch a quarter of a game and you can tell his teammates think he has it. You could see Mike Tomlin when he came off [the field following the game-winning drive against the Ravens] like, 'Kenny F'n Pickett.'"
Many believed the Steelers drafted Pickett because they were familiar enough with him after he worked within the same building at the University of Pittsburgh. Tomlin has acknowledged that to be a fact throughout the season and Payton said it was a huge advantage:
"When you share a building, which is unique, the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh, and you have that much access to personality, skill set, all the other intangibles, that's invaluable."
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 11: Former NFL coach Sean Payton speaks during an interview on day 3 of SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVI on February 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
Pickett hasn't been anywhere near perfect this season. He has 2,209 yards passing and has tossed six touchdowns to nine interceptions. Despite having a stat line that isn't eye-popping, the first-year for an NFL quarterback either is spent on the bench, or developing in a starting role. Payton's words should be very encouraging to Steelers fans. He was one of the best offensive minds in football for a long time and him saying that Pittsburgh's new franchise guy 'has it' is incredibly comforting.
Do you agree with Payton's comments about Pickett's potential? Let us know in the comments below!
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