The Pittsburgh Steelers have seen what Kenny Pickett is capable of. One doesn't simply set the rookie record for comeback drives, as well as becoming the first rookie quarterback to lead comeback drives in back-to-back weeks. He had another shining moment with a fourth quarter comeback in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. Mike Tomlin was asked about Pickett's clutch factor in his press conference on Tuesday. That clutch trait is amazing, but there is always more to be desired, especially from a quarterback that tends to struggle before those clutch moments show up.
Tomlin was questioned about how Pickett has been so good in the clutch, despite not showing that same ability in the first three quarters. Tomlin answered by talking about all the things that makes Pickett shine in the clutch moments without saying anything about the first few quarters from each game. The game film backs up Tomlin's claims about Pickett.
"[Pickett] doesn't shrink in those weighty moments. He's a competitor... It's just innate in some people. When things get thick, some people shrink; some people smile, and it brings out the best in them. I've always thought it brought out the best in him."
Everyone has seen Pickett smile in the face of adversity, and not even in the figurative sense. He showed his inner Hines Ward by smiling and laughing after taking a big hit in his NFL debut in 2022 against the New York Jets. While Pickett didn't throw for many touchdowns in 2022, he threw them when it mattered most. Those drives all show flashes of Pickett's ceiling, but there is a lot of work to be done for him to reach that ceiling.
Immediately after speaking so highly of Pickett, Tomlin was asked about if he was looking for different ways to get that same clutch factor out of Pickett earlier in the game, as opposed to waiting for the game to be on the line to shine. Tomlin gave a short-and-sweet answer, smiling as he responded.
"Every day of my life."
There are always ways to help Pickett be better, but Tomlin clearly hasn't found it yet. His best game was a two-touchdown game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3, and that was immediately followed by a blowout loss to the Houston Texans in Week 4 where Pickett left the game with a knee injury.
Tomlin says that Pickett does have the clutch gene. That was why the Steelers drafted him in the first place. Now, all they have to do is keep spending more days trying to get Pickett to show off his abilities in all four quarters. Once they get it done, his talents will "reveal itself" much more than the negatives will.
"[Clutch time and competitiveness] are some of the things that really attracted him to us in the draft process. We saw it next door at Pitt [University]. I'm not surprised when it reveals itself again."
Pickett's time with the Pittsburgh Panthers rocketed his draft stock from sixth-round prospect to first rounder, and it gave many NFL teams enough tape to show that he could be a capable starting quarterback at the NFL level. Those clutch drives are part of what made Pickett shoot up the draft boards, and he continues to show that at the NFL level. Once the Steelers find out how to unlock that greatness in all four quarters, he will be the guy that the Steelers expected to have when they drafted him.
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