Getty Bleacher Report's Alex Kay predicted Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett to "explode into stardom" in 2023.
Some NFL analysts have questioned this offseason whether Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is the solution behind center for Pittsburgh.
Don’t count Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay among them.
Kay projected one player at each position to explode into stardom during the 2023 season. At quarterback, he picked Pickett.
“Pickett—the lone quarterback selected in the first two rounds of last year’s draft—may not have posted big numbers in his first NFL season, but he showed he’s a capable signal-caller who can lead his team to wins,” Kay wrote. “With a full offseason to prepare as the starter, he should see his stats significantly improve while he pushes to take the Steelers back to the playoffs following a one-year layoff.”
Pickett had more interceptions than touchdowns as a rookie. But he did lead the Steelers to a 7-5 record.
QB Kenny Pickett Ready to Explode in 2023?
It’s very typical for rookie signal callers to go through a lot of growing pains. Eli Manning and Josh Allen both had more interceptions than touchdowns as rookies just as Pickett did.
Steelers fans saw the struggles a rookie quarterback can go through first hand generations ago. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw had 6 touchdowns and a league-leading 24 interceptions as a rookie in 1970.
Of course, there are plenty of examples of bad rookie quarterbacks who never figured it out. To name a few, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Jimmy Clausen all had poor rookie seasons after being touted as franchise quarterbacks throughout the draft process. But they improved little during their second years.
Kay argued Pickett would find himself in the former group a year from now. He isn’t alone with that opinion.
Former Oakland Raiders MVP quarterback Rich Gannon raved about Pickett when comparing him to the 2023 quarterback class on his Sirius XM Radio show in April.
“If it were me, I’d take him in front of everybody,” Gannon said on his show. “I just really like him.”
Pickett didn’t finish with great stats, but he already showed improvement during his rookie season. In his final eight games of the season, he had 5 touchdowns and only 1 interception. Pickett also led the Steelers to two fourth-quarter comeback wins during that stretch.
The Nightmare Scenario for Pickett & the Steelers
Kay and Gannon are convinced, but not all analysts believe that Pickett will turn into Pittsburgh’s long-term starter behind center.
Former NFL quarterback Matt Cassell ranked Pickett the league’s No. 27 quarterback before the 2023 NFL draft.
Furthermore, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon presented Pickett at the forefront in the team’s ultimate nightmare scenario.
“Kenny Pickett fails to improve significantly on a weak rookie season but Mike Tomlin and a strong defense cause them to win just enough games to leave them without a primo draft pick in 2024.”
Granted, Gagnon picked a nightmare scenario for all 32 teams, most of which will not come to fruition. It’s hard to argue that any Steelers nightmare at this point wouldn’t involve Pickett’s play or health in some capacity.
But it still illustrates Pickett doubters exist.
More analysts, in addition to Steelers players, are coming out of the woodwork, though, in support of Pickett as Kay did. Pro Football Focus’ Jim Wyman included Pickett on his 2023 all-breakout team on June 12.
“His counting stats leave something to be desired, as Pickett finished his rookie year throwing for just 2,404 yards with only seven touchdowns and nine interceptions without a single multi-TD game,” Wyman wrote. “However, the Steelers’ late-season playoff push coincided directly with Pickett’s late-season improvement.
“Pickett finished the season with a 75.5 offensive grade and 73.5 passing grade and with that late-season push, he could be primed for a big year in 2023.”
