Kenny Pickett has kicked his rookie season off with some impressive play. In 2 preseason games he has put skepticism over his early training camp play to rest. The Steelers used a very coveted first round pick on him with a lot of other needs around the team.
Preseason Grade
NFL.com Chad Reuter did an article where he was grading top rookies performance thus far. He gave Kenny a grade of A. Kenny came into camp struggling, he had a hard time making the big throws and his accuracy was a little off. This is something to be expected, he’s a rookie coming into a new system behind a shaky offensive line. The thing I love about Kenny is no matter how bad the odds are stacked against him he stays calm and naturally leads. That was on display week two against the Jaguars. Mitch Trubisky had a really hard time under constant pressure. It felt like he was trying a bit too hard to make a play instead of slowing down and not looking at the line too much. That is what I saw Kenny Pickett do. Pickett was playing in the same situation and excelled.
The same pressure was in front of Kenny Pickett and he was getting the ball out quick. One pass that stood out to Pat Freiermuth. Kenny dropped back and delivered a strike with two defenders rushing in. He stood in the pocket and delivered the ball on time to Pat for a great first down and a 24 yard gain. You can watch it here. Because Kenny is a young quarterback and a very mobile one a lot of guys would have saw the pressure coming and attempt to escape the pocket. Kenny showed poise, commanded the pocket and once again showed he is capable of moving the offense efficiently.
Should Pickett Start Week 1
Mitch Trubisky is the quarterback no. 1 at the moment, but for how long? Mitch has looked good in both preseason games and has been able to move the ball rather well with little to no help from the o-line. Kenny has clearly beat out Mason Rudolph for the no. 2 guy on the depth chart. How long can Mitch beat him out? I would not mind having Mitch or Kenny playing. I think both of them can get the Steelers wins while leading the offense down the field. The Steelers using the first round pick on him shows that they see him as the future of the team. Mitch is a bridge quarterback to give Kenny time to develop and get used to NFL speed.
I do think that with the exciting play from Pickett he makes a strong case to be the starter of the Pittsburgh Steelers week one. Regardless of what happens against the lions in preseason week 3 Mitch should be the guy for now. They brought Mitch in and paid him, let him roll out there and see what happens. If he looks good, great for him and his potential of getting another deal elsewhere. If he looks rough or gets hurt you know you can throw in Pickett and the moment won’t be too big for him.
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