Kenny Pickett Downplaying Steelers QB Battle
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is in a familiar city, practicing in the same facility for the sixth consecutive year and learning an offense constructed by a coach that coordinated his college team's attack.
So many elements of the 2022 first-round pick's transition to the NFL are recognizable and as a result, Pickett's move across the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex has been smooth so far.
Pickett, who spoke to media for the first time since he was drafted, said that many of the schematics that Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has put in place are comfortable for him. Pickett ran a similar, pro-style offense in college and even played under Canada during the 2016 season.
"I'm familiar with the concepts, pro-style stuff," Pickett said. "So I'm just kind of taking it one day at a time, going through the installs, going through the practice scripts and being as prepared as I can be."
Pickett insisted that, despite how the quarterback competition has been played up by those outside the team, he is not focused on winning the starting quarterback job during OTAs.
"Yeah, it's the same thing, just competing and trying to be as prepared as I can be," Pickett said. "I'm familiar with it and I'm enjoying it. ... I think you guys make a bigger deal of the competition than the players do."
For now, Pickett is simply enjoying being fully integrated with the rest of the team, after spending his first few days as a Steeler practicing exclusively with rookies.
"Well you can actually see how it's supposed to look," Pickett said. "There were some guys here, we're all learning. Now we get the chance to see it before we go do it and that speaks volumes for us and it's good, really good teaching."
In between learning everyone's names and navigating the facility, Pickett is trying to absorb knowledge from the veterans that he's now practicing with, especially those within his position group. Pickett said he's spent the most time with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.
"There's no one better to learn from than the guys who are here and either have done it," Pickett said. "I'm trying to learn from them. I'm asking questions to guys like Mitch [Trubisky] and Mason [Ruduloph]. We're attached at the hip basically all day. So we're going through it together and it's been fun."
The questions he's asking have focused on the small details. As Pickett tries to digest the ins and outs of an NFL offense, he's asking Trubisky and Rudolph about what they see on a certain play or why they made a certain read.
"It's just little small things," Pickett said. "It's not a formal sit down where I ask 'Hey, man can you give me all the secrets?' It's more like when I'm going through plays, I'll ask them 'What did you see here? Why did you do this?' All little things like that. We're working together and everybody's getting better so it's good competition."
Despite being a first-round pick, Pickett doesn't convey any arrogance. On Tuesday, after he took primarily third-string snaps, Pickett said that anticipated having to work his way up the depth chart and is ready to pay his dues while waiting for an opportunity to play.
"I didn't come in here and think I would be the No. 1," Pickett said. "It was what I was expecting. That's just kind of how it goes in the life and the game so I'm trying to earn everything that I get."
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