Steelers Kenny Pickett Makes A Mind-Blowing Admission To Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson About His High School Football Hero

Pittsburgh Steelers training is well underway at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. The media is finally able to get back to the business of real football, particularly talking with players about the upcoming season. That includes two podcasters who are very familiar with the Steelers: Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson.

The two co-host All Things Covered and are not only connected via the Steelers, but are also cousins. McFadden was selected in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He spent his first four seasons in Pittsburgh and was a critical part of the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XL during his rookie year. He got an opportunity that season to play for an injured Deshea Townsend and didn't fritter it away. He also helped the Steelers hoist the Lombardi with a victory over the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII.

He became an unrestricted free agent in 2009 and went to test the waters with the Cardinals. He would only spend a single season there and then came back home to Pittsburgh as a part of a trade. He helped the Steelers again make it to the Super Bowl, but this time they lost to the Green Bay Packers. 

His cousin Peterson is younger and currently on the Steelers roster. Peterson brings a wealth of talent to the team. He was considered by many to be the best athlete in the draft back in 2011. He was drafted fifth overall by Arizona. He stayed with the Cardinals for 11 seasons before spending two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. 

Peterson has been very open about how he feels that he has a lot left in the tank and so far, his work during the preseason supports that. He has had a remarkable career, with eight Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pros. He has combined for 610 tackles and 34 interceptions. Now, in between running plays and mentoring younger guys, he podcasts with his cousin. 

They have most recently filmed an episode at Steelers training camp, providing fans with a look at the action as well as talking with some players. One of those players was quarterback, Kenny Pickett. Pickett came on the show and blew McFadden and Peterson away by revealing a little-known fact about who he idolized in high school. 

Who Pumped Up Steelers' Kenny Picket For High School Football Games?

Pickett is entering his second season with the Steelers. A New Jersey native, Pickett was familiar with the Steelers because he was the quarterback for the University of Pittsburgh. The Steelers and Panthers share facilities, so there is a fair amount of interaction. Pickett became a household name during his time at Pitt. He took over as the starter late in his freshman year and became known for being tough and poised. 

He helped the Panthers find success. He chose to accept the extra year of eligibility offered because of COVID and won an ACC Championship in 2021. He also set two passing records. The first was the school record for touchdown passes with 81 and it was originally held by Dan Marino. The second record was for ACC touchdown passes in a season with 42, originally held by Deshaun Watson when he was at Clemson University.

But, while Pickett was chatting with Peterson and McFadden, he casually dropped a tidbit of information that McFadden had never heard before. This came during a discussion about his time playing football in high school in New Jersey. McFadden bemoaned how much younger than him Pickett is.  

"I could give you another one, in high school I played DB. I watched him (pointing to Peterson) and Tyrann Mathieu before I played."

McFadden and Peterson were visibly stunned. They had to "whoa, whoa, whoa" the conversation and needed more details on it. As a defensive back, you can be a left or right cornerback or a strong or free safety. Considering they are both defensive backs, they wanted to know where Pickett played and if quarterback was in the conversation at that time.

"Yeah I played DB in high school, I played both (safety and corner) and I played both ways (meaning defense and offense)." 

The two were seriously gobsmacked and stated that they needed to see film on this. Pickett went on to say that, to get his "mind right" before games, he would watch highlights of the best defensive backs at the time, roughly during the mid-2010s, and one of his favorites was Peterson.  

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Pickett is a gifted athlete and a true competitor. It also rings true with the way he works to dissect what he sees on both sides of the ball. He has become known in Pittsburgh for being a bit of a scholar, studying film obsessively, and meeting with not only offensive, but defensive coaches and players to be able to learn as much as he could.

It seems like his experience in the secondary should be something that helps boost the Steelers offense. What do you think? Are you surprised to hear this? Are you surprised that Peterson was one of his heroes? How do you think Pickett will perform during year two? Click to