Round 1 pick: Kenny Pickett

[steelclan]

Then you can’t waste a first round pick when you have the needs we have … they reached when they had solid others to take that would help now and possibl6 for years

Waste? You could well be right but given the success rate of QBs in the 1st round no matter where they are taken and what year? It is always a huge risk. I think he will be a bust but I will be happy to be proven wrong and for perspective? 70% of 1st round Qbs don't pan out.

a bad pick is a bad pick …

As disappointed as I am? I have no idea if it is a bad pick yet. I saw people that hated the TJ Watt pick and loved the move up to get a bust ILBer. Pickett will get his chance and I hope he steps up and will root for that. We can toss dirt and ceremonial flowers on him if he doesn't. Until then no real point looking for the edge of the cliff.

[LakecrestSteeler]

So tiny hands aside, does this kid at least have an NFL arm?

Yes to NFL arm. Tough to find video that proves it in college ball with hashes and the routes they run.

https://youtu.be/RN5u9RcCxPs

2:38 on the video above is proof of an NFL arm. Accurate as hell too.

And it also confirms they think Rudolph is a bust. Progress in the player evaluation front. It didn’t take 5 years.

[Gonzo]

that’s neither here nor there. you can say that about every pick ever for all of time … it doesn’t mean anything. i loved and rooted for duck and bubby and the mailman …. didn’t help their talent level. i have watched kenny play plenty …. he is a steeler and i will hope but pretty sure it’s not going to help.

there is no doubt the steeeles have wanted to make this pick for a long time

[Smashmouth21]

Did not mortgage the future by trading up and still got the top QB prospect at 20, which hadn’t happened in decades. Not sure how folks can complain. Oh wait, this is a message board…

[LakecrestSteeler]

Tomlin call to Kenny P.

https://twitter.com/steelers/status/151 ... is3-Yz68lw

[Gonzo]

being the top QB doesn’t mean anything and by many account he wasnt. they could have had a similar qb in tje second round

[Scunge]

Kenny is the pick and I can understand why they went with him.

When you have a TJ Watt and Minkah on defense you don't want to waste their prime years waiting for a QB to develop in 3 years.

Pickett is ready to go now, and will probably easily digest whatever offense Canada is cooking up.

In terms of pro comparisons, the Andy Dalton comp is weak sauce.

There was one past player profile leading up to the draft that was virtually identical to Pickett. And their combine performances and measurables were virtually identical as well. Who was that player? What current QB does Pickett compare to more than Andy 'fucking' Dalton?

Derek Carr.

Andy Dalton did not have 4.7 speed, he ran a 4.93. Yeah, he could move around in the pocket and occasionally scamper around for some runs, but he was not what I would call a true mobile QB capable of doing damage with his legs. His longest run was just 25 yards and he may have had just 3 runs over 20+ yards for his career. He averaged 3.2 yards per carry.

Carr does have the same 4.7 speed that Pickett has but he is way more mobile than Dalton and I think Carr has better arm talent than Dalton.

I think Pickett is a slightly better than Carr as a passer and as a runner.

If you have a complete team, a strong defense, a bell cow RB, and other supporting cast on offense with Pickett, that is a playoff team and maybe more. That had to be enticing for the Steelers and too good to pass up.

At the end of the day, the Steelers spent the 20th pick in the first round on a QB who might not ever be a top 10 QB, but if he is 11th, 12th? That might be enough to compete for division titles and go deep into the playoffs. And they didn't have to trade up, or spend a lot of money.

I like the move. There was a run on WRs, the DT they coveted was gone, there was a run on CBs too and Hamilton was gone as well. Pickett had to have been the highest rated player on their draft board.

In terms of age, ordinarily I freak out over player being older, but with Covid, these are special circumstances, many players got delayed into entering the draft, so you see a lot of players that are 23-24 years old.

[Gonzo]

the D isn’t just two players and there are many holes in that D

and you are right - they settled

[Dan Smith--BYU]

#1 not Willis
#2 backup QB is the second most important position on the team
#3 Bibberty is obviously gone
#4 if he's a success somewhere else and Marino the Sequel we are suicidal

Down a pint, maytes, and cheer the fuck up

[Thrillsseeker]

Bust

Roger that
Love the kid and hope the best for him and the Steelers
But I don’t see it
who knows maybe he excels at the 1-3 yard range passes we love.

Good news there, he excels in the 5-10 yd passes so we’re in for a massive improvement from those -2 to 1 yd passes.

[Gonzo]

Dudes ,,,, he isnt Marino

[rooneytunes]

[LakecrestSteeler]

Kenny is the pick and I can understand why they went with him.

When you have a TJ Watt and Minkah on defense you don't want to waste their prime years waiting for a QB to develop in 3 years.

Pickett is ready to go now, and will probably easily digest whatever offense Canada is cooking up.

In terms of pro comparisons, the Andy Dalton comp is weak sauce.

There was one past player profile leading up to the draft that was virtually identical to Pickett. And their combine performances and measurables were virtually identical as well. Who was that player? What current QB does Pickett compare to more than Andy 'fucking' Dalton?

Derek Carr.

Andy Dalton did not have 4.7 speed, he ran a 4.93. Yeah, he could move around in the pocket and occasionally scamper around for some runs, but he was not what I would call a true mobile QB capable of doing damage with his legs. His longest run was just 25 yards and he may have had just 3 runs over 20+ yards for his career. He averaged 3.2 yards per carry.

Carr does have the same 4.7 speed that Pickett has but he is way more mobile than Dalton and I think Carr has better arm talent than Dalton.

I think Pickett is a slightly better than Carr as a passer and as a runner.

If you have a complete team, a strong defense, a bell cow RB, and other supporting cast on offense with Pickett, that is a playoff team and maybe more. That had to be enticing for the Steelers and too good to pass up.

At the end of the day, the Steelers spent the 20th pick in the first round on a QB who might not ever be a top 10 QB, but if he is 11th, 12th? That might be enough to compete for division titles and go deep into the playoffs. And they didn't have to trade up, or spend a lot of money.

I like the move. There was a run on WRs, the DT they coveted was gone, there was a run on CBs too and Hamilton was gone as well. Pickett had to have been the highest rated player on their draft board.

In terms of age, ordinarily I freak out over player being older, but with Covid, these are special circumstances, many players got delayed into entering the draft, so you see a lot of players that are 23-24 years old.

Spot on! This team still has holes, but we have another Super Bowl window opening if the cards are played correctly. Before someone rolls their eyes you might want to go through the list of Defensive Player of the Year award recipients who have not won a Super Bowl! Hint: it is a very very very short list! Watt will get one for his family! Too much history in his family not to pull it off.

Wide receivers, lineman and inside linebackers and we can make a run if the defense gels!

Worst case scenario this season? Wentz/Keenum combo.

[Scunge]

Gonzo, yes, you are right there are more players on the D, but that is a relatively young group entering their prime years, the next 3-4 years they are going to be pretty damn good.

I am bullish on the defense being able to rebound from last year and again be a top 5 defense. Teams can be top heavy and have a few Watts, Fitz and Heywards and not much else but this team has a very good middle class now of starters in their prime. You look at Myles Jack, Levi Wallace, Alex HIghsmith, Ahkello Witherspoon, Terrell Edmunds, Chris Wormley, Cam Sutton. With the exception of Highsmith, those are a lot of players in that 5-6 year range where they have experience, know what they are doing and are entering their prime years.

When Burrow came out and was drafted by Cincy, I thought, meh. But he just played in a Super Bowl. What exactly does Burrow have, what did he do that Pickett did not do in college? Burrow elevated himself pretty much because of his last season at LSU. Like Pickett, Burrow did not wow people with his size or stature, his arm is not a rocket like a Josh Allen or Mahomes, he did not run a 4.4 like a Lamar Jackson.

Quarterbacks in todays NFL can go against type, they all don't have to be like Allen/Mahomes/Jackson.

I am crossing my fingers that Pickett can be like Derek Carr or Burrow. I don't see how this team was ever going to be able to pick in the top 5, or trade up into the top 5 to draft some mythical unicorn/sasquatch perfect franchise QB again.

[LakecrestSteeler]

#1 not Willis
#2 backup QB is the second most important position on the team
#3 Bibberty is obviously gone
#4 if he's a success somewhere else and Marino the Sequel we are suicidal

Down a pint, maytes, and cheer the fuck up

#5 his fiancée is hot! See Moneyball movie for baseball data about hot girlfriends and playing ability. See Ben R. for reasons to have a fiancée early on.
#6 his fiancée has Paterno in her last name…what says Pennsylvania football more than Pitt and Paterno?
#7 KP Duty doesn’t need to learn a new city…think of the extra bandwidth he will have for the playbook!
#8 KP might now have a big chip on his shoulder dropping to 20!

[SteelerDayTrader]

Kenny is the pick and I can understand why they went with him.

When you have a TJ Watt and Minkah on defense you don't want to waste their prime years waiting for a QB to develop in 3 years.

Pickett is ready to go now, and will probably easily digest whatever offense Canada is cooking up.

Little Kenny will never win more than 9 games in a season for Pittsburgh

[Steelperch]

Pickett Pro Comparisons:

Kirk Cousins (Matt Miller)
Andy Dalton (Lance Zierlein)
Matt Hassleback (Daniel Jeremiah)
Derek Carr (Mel Kiper Jr / Charlie Campbell)

[RemoAZ]

Who knows if this guy will develop. What we don't see is his work ethic, his desire to get better, heart, leadership, etc. The Steelers decision makers along with an OC that used to coach him got an inside look at those intangibles and his performance on the field up close and personal the last few years. If they still believe he was worth picking in the 1st round, hopefully he has what it takes to become a quality starter. I'm just glad they didn't pick one of the shorter guys that are known more for running than throwing. That's what I was expecting. He seems genuinely happy to get drafted by the Steelers and like Harris last year, looks like someone it will be fun to root for. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Scunge]

Little Kenny will never win more than 9 games in a season for Pittsburgh

Uh, Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges won 8 games and the supporting cast is much better now.

I love all of the lamentation, the tears coming from SteelerFury right now. Keep it up everyone. I think it would be the funniest thing ever for Pickett to come in and play well from day one and we make the playoffs.

All of the crying and anguish, the folks getting their panties in a twist and wouldn't it be great if there were no dark times? Instead of having this great dry spell between Bradshaw and Ben again, maybe there is no dry spell, maybe someone here on SteelerFury will register a username of BentoPickett, or B2P for short?

[tbsteel]

Pickett Pro Comparisons:

Kirk Cousins (Matt Miller)
Andy Dalton (Lance Zierlein)
Matt Hassleback (Daniel Jeremiah)
Derek Carr (Mel Kiper Jr / Charlie Campbell)

Just a quick Google search for shits and giggles:

Matt Miller in 2017:

Patrick Mahomes pro comparison: Blake Bortles

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/268 ... ts-top-qbs

I mean, who gives a fuck what any of these guys think? Anyone who has a great track record nailing how QBs will turn out is a liar.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Pickett Pro Comparisons:

Kirk Cousins (Matt Miller)
Andy Dalton (Lance Zierlein)
Matt Hassleback (Daniel Jeremiah)
Derek Carr (Mel Kiper Jr / Charlie Campbell)

1. What a GREAT group lol
2. He forgot Tommy Maddox

[El Kabong]

#1 not Willis
#2 backup QB is the second most important position on the team
#3 Bibberty is obviously gone
#4 if he's a success somewhere else and Marino the Sequel we are suicidal

Down a pint, maytes, and cheer the fuck up

#5 his fiancée is hot! See Moneyball movie for baseball data about hot girlfriends and playing ability. See Ben R. for reasons to have a fiancée early on.
#6 his fiancée has Paterno in her last name…what says Pennsylvania football more than Pitt and Paterno?
#7 KP Duty doesn’t need to learn a new city…think of the extra bandwidth he will have for the playbook!
#8 KP might now have a big chip on his shoulder dropping to 20!

#9 Think of the puns his name allows for. When he scores a game-winning TD, we can call it Pickett's Charge. When he gets horribly sacked, we can say "they killed Kenny! The bastards!"

[El Kabong]

Kenny is the pick and I can understand why they went with him.

When you have a TJ Watt and Minkah on defense you don't want to waste their prime years waiting for a QB to develop in 3 years.

Pickett is ready to go now, and will probably easily digest whatever offense Canada is cooking up.

Little Kenny will never win more than 9 games in a season for Pittsburgh

Lighten up, Francis.

[Who Dee Knee]

Little Kenny will never win more than 9 games in a season for Pittsburgh

Uh, Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges won 8 games and the supporting cast is much better now.

I love all of the lamentation, the tears coming from SteelerFury right now. Keep it up everyone. I think it would be the funniest thing ever for Pickett to come in and play well from day one and we make the playoffs.

All of the crying and anguish, the folks getting their panties in a twist and wouldn't it be great if there were no dark times? Instead of having this great dry spell between Bradshaw and Ben again, maybe there is no dry spell, maybe someone here on SteelerFury will register a username of BentoPickett, or B2P for short?

Agree, Scunge. I think Perch said in chat Ben2Ken

[Orangesteel]

Pickett in college vs the few high level programs he played (Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State)
1-5 record, 4 TD, 6 INT

Pickett first 4 years as a starter
39 TD, 25 INT / 61% completion %

Jesus fucking Christ.

[Stallworth16]

I’ll do a deep dive this weekend, but my initial read on Pickett is he fits right in there with Trubisky, and Rudolph, meaning mid-level guys with mid-level arm strength, (not a compliment). Trubisky and Pickett are mobile guys who can run.

I believe in high-level arm strength, like Ben, Bradshaw, Maholmes, Herbert, Allen those guys can sling it on a rope. That’s why my backup was Dobbs (and IQ), now with the Browns. Those guys also have more distance on the deep ball, 50 to 70 yard passes in the air. The mid-level guys can’t do that.

There is no doubt Pickett made huge leap as a 5th year senior, 42 TDs, only 7 interceptions. That’s not an accident, he was playing at a high level. He was throwing an accurate ball with that mid-level velocity. The game slowed down for him, he was playing at a high level. Because he’s gone through that growth, he’s more ready. We will find out if that confidence translates to the NFL. Or if he’s just another guy, like so many others.

[LakecrestSteeler]

Pickett in college vs the few high level programs he played (Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State)
1-5 record, 4 TD, 6 INT

Pickett first 4 years as a starter
39 TD, 25 INT / 61% completion %

Peyton Manning was 0-4 against Florida Gators and threw 4 picks in the junior campaign, a year he would have gone number 1 in the draft many speculated. They also lost to 4-7 Memphis his junior year!

[LakecrestSteeler]

Pickett Pro Comparisons:

Kirk Cousins (Matt Miller)
Andy Dalton (Lance Zierlein)
Matt Hassleback (Daniel Jeremiah)
Derek Carr (Mel Kiper Jr / Charlie Campbell)

…..this guy ran a 5.28 40 yard dash!

Hindsight is 20/20, but the foresight of talking heads is tragic too!….nobody knows what is in the mind, and that is what determines the whole enchilada with a smattering of luck and circumstance.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Pickett in college vs the few high level programs he played (Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State)
1-5 record, 4 TD, 6 INT

Pickett first 4 years as a starter
39 TD, 25 INT / 61% completion %

Jesus fucking Christ.

[bradshaw2ben]

I am not as upset with this as I thought I would be, Probably because they didn’t trade up to get him.

In three years when you compare Pickett’s career to those of the QBs the Steelers could have had in 2023/2024 with Jermaine Johnson by their side… you’ll certainly be upset.