Steelers Excited About Growth of Kenny Pickett
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers started the summer with Mitch Trubisky holding a tight grasp to the quarterback competition, with Mason Rudolph trailing and Kenny Pickett sitting in the crowd.
The first-round pick didn't get any reps with the second team until training camp, and none with the first team until the final week at Saint Vincent College.
But now, Pickett has come on strong during the preseason. Through two games, he's completed 19 of 22 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns19 of 22 for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he finished 6 of 7 for 76 yards and a touchdown, driving 63-yards in 42 seconds to put the Steelers ahead heading into halftime.
"You can tell he's very fired up, very excited to be out there on the field with the boys," wide receiver Chase Claypool said. "It's cool to see that from a young dude in the league, but the dude's an old head still."
"It's nice to see. It's comforting when you have a rookie quarterback competing for a spot when he is able to drive down the field."
The Steelers' veteran pass-catchers are impressed with the growth Pickett has displayed this summer. The first-round pick is definitely a part of the quarterback competition as it enters it's final leg, and guys like Claypool and Pat Freiermuth can see why.
"Kenny's ball has become more and more catchable, and he's put a nice touch on it," Claypool said. "You can see the work he's been putting in."
Freiermuth said he noticed a drastic difference after the first week of training camp. Pickett couldn't pinpoint a day but admitted there was change - which he credited to the work he's put in.
"It's impressive," Freiermuth said on Pickett's play. "His growth throughout OTAs and especially camp. He would say himself that it started out a little rocky but now he's balling. He's a gamer and I feel very confident."
The Steelers have not named a starter for their final preseason game, but the matchup with the Detroit Lions seems like a final opportunity for Pickett to prove he's the team's starter.
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