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Steelers QB Camp Notebook: Kenny Pickett Surpasses Mason Rudolph

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved their rookie quarterback to the second-team.

LATROBE, PA -- The Pittsburgh Steelers sparked some interest as they moved rookie Kenny Pickett into the second team to open the week. 

Pickett operated as the third-team quarterback throughout the first week. He finally got a rep at seven shots over the weekend, and returned to practice as the No. 2. Mitch Trubisky remained the starter, Mason Rudolph moved to third-team and Chris Oladokun remained on without a rep.

Statbook

Mitch Trubisky: 9/12

Trubisky had a pretty consistent day. While most first-team reps were running plays, the starting QB remained a comfortable fit with the ones. He worked with Anthony Miller, George Pickens and Calvin Austin as Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson were sidelined. 

Mason Rudolph: 7/12

After a very consistent start to camp, Rudolph took a step back. Working with the third team, the veteran quarterback saw at least three balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. He did escape the pocket once or twice, but overall, saw minimal snaps during team drills.

Kenny Pickett: 9/14

Pickett took over as the second-team QB to start Week 2, and saw his most consistent day yet. The rookie had a few moving passes that turned into completions, and worked well with guys like Calvin Austin and Connor Heyward. He and Miles Boykin connected on at least three separate occasions. 

Quotes

Mike Tomlin Slows Down Assumptions

"There will be more of that. All of those guys will be part of all groups. It's just part of team development."

Analysis

Coming into the week, you wouldn't have guessed Rudolph was going to take a step backwards. In fact, after the week had had to open camp, one would've thought he could see first-team reps. 

But, the team had different plans. Tomlin shut down any overreactions about Pickett now being the No. 2, but it's certainly something to build off of. The rookie had his best day and finally saw the game slow down while in the pocket. 

Moving forward, how Rudolph and Pickett play out is going to be very interesting. It's the storyline to watch after today. 

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