Steelers' Kenny Pickett ranked No. 2 among 'youngster' backup QBs

Regardless of anything that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin may say about the subject, there continue to be indications and hints that free-agent signing Mitchell Trubisky has already won an alleged quarterback competition over first-round draft selection Kenny Pickett and career backup Mason Rudolph. 

Steelers insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has pointed out on multiple occasions this week, alone, that he does not believe Pickett can do anything this summer to earn the gig without Trubisky suffering an injury or some other calamity, and Dulac certainly isn't the only person who feels that way ahead of July. 

For a piece published on Thursday, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports ranked backup signal-callers via multiple categories. Among so-called "youngsters," Benjamin has Pickett at No. 2 of the No. 2s behind only Tyler Huntley of the Baltimore Ravens. 

"He's widely considered more of a safe than special prospect, but the guy did a lot of the little things well in and around the pocket at Pittsburgh, and he may well start for a playoff-caliber Steelers team as a rookie," Benjamin wrote of Pickett. 

For those curious: Tennessee Titans rookie Malik Willis is No. 3 on the list, followed by Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers and Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons. 

Huntley is hardly a proven commodity and finished last season with 1,081 passing yards, three touchdowns, four interceptions, a 76.6 passer rating and a 49.0 total QBR. Needless to say, Steelers fans will be hoping Pickett proves to be the better option of the two by this time next year.