No one is writing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett's Hall of Fame speech after his rookie season. After being drafted by the organization in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he was promoted to be the team's starter in Week 5. It started off pretty rough as he threw only two touchdowns and eight interceptions in his first five games played, but bounced back after the Week 9 bye and led a much more balanced and consistent offense, finishing the year going 6-2. He still has plenty to prove and some analysts are not buying his potential heading into 2023.
Matt Cassel, a former NFL signal-caller who played 14 seasons at the professional level, released his early 2023 quarterback rankings for the 33rdTeam and it's safe to say that he isn't believing Pickett will take a big step forward during his sophomore season. Pickett landed at 27th out of 32 on the list.
Cassel cited the mistakes Pickett made as something he needs to correct during the offseason, but in terms of turning the ball over, he was almost mistake-free the final eight weeks of the season.
"Kenny Pickett needs to limit mistakes, stay on the field and show some consistency. Throwing game-winning touchdowns with less than a minute left in consecutive games might be a glimpse into Pickett’s moxie. He’s going to need it to carry the weight of one of the league’s most historic franchises on his back."
No one is expecting Pickett to land in the Top 10 or maybe even 15 on anyone's list, but it's the names ahead of him on Cassel's that are fair to criticize. Andy Dalton (#22), Mac Jones (#25) and Jacoby Brissett (#26) were all ranked higher. As of now, two of those players don't even have teams to take the field with on Sundays come the fall.
It's funny to think about that both Dalton and Brissett may be candidates to back Pickett up in 2023. Both are likely to sign one year deals and serve in a second-string role. Pickett needs someone who can be somewhat of a mentor and is going to have the veteran experience in order to help him grow as a player.
In 2022, the Steelers rookie finished with 2,404 passing yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. The stat line is not what has fans excited, however. As Cassel mentioned, Pickett was calm, cool and collected down the stretch and led two game-winning drives that were one of the main reasons Pittsburgh ended up almost making the playoffs.
Steelers Offensive Leader With A Lot To Prove Going Forward
Time will tell whether the Steelers 2022 first round pick turns into the face of the franchise or not. He hasn't done enough to be lauded as one of the NFL's best, but he deserves a little more respect than Cassel gave him in his recent rankings. It's surprising to see 2023 expected backups ahead of a young starting quarterback who was impressive the latter half of his first season.
Do you agree with Cassel's placement of Pickett on his rankings of the quarterback position?
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