From Heisman Finalist to Career Backup… Kenny Pickett
The NFL kicked off their preseason on Thursday night with the annual Hall of Fame game with the Carolina Panthers squaring off against the Arizona Cardinals. The starting QB for the Panthers was former Panther, Kenny Pickett. Seeing him trot out onto the field my brain could only say one thing… What the hell happened?
He looks sad…..
If you are like me, a diehard Pitt and Steelers fan, then Kenny Pickett was a key part of your life for 7 years. From college football Saturdays to NFL Sundays, Pickett spent 5 years with the Pitt Panthers and 2 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers; you simply couldn’t get away from him. Pickett wasn't anything special his first 4 years at Pitt but that all changed for his redshirt senior year where he led Pitt to a 11-2 record including an ACC Championship victory over Wake Forest, Pitt’s best season since 1981.
Pickett’s final year with Pitt was my senior year of college and that season was the cherry on top of an amazing 4 years at one of PA’s biggest party schools (IUP BABY!!! CLASS OF 22!!!) and I was so excited of what he could do in the NFL. I was even more excited about his NFL potential due to the Steelers current QB situation. The Steelers were entering the draft coming off of an off season that great Ben Roethlisberger retired and Dwayne Haskins was killed by a dump truck. The Steelers needed a QB and that draft class was NOT QB heavy.
Okay we all know what happens next so I’ll get to the point. The Steelers took Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick of the first round of the 2022 draft. It felt like no one was indifferent about selecting Pickett, you either loved it or hated it, and after enough time we all hated it. Over a 2 year stretch Pickett started 24 games for the Steelers and threw for only 13 touchdowns. Most importantly, he was NOT what he was in college. It felt like the offense was so stagnant when he was under center. Games were low scoring and just flat out boring to watch. Now I know football is a team sport but if your QB sucks, more times than not your team sucks.
The organization was clearly unhappy after his first season and looking back it almost looks like he started his second season with a target on his back. Well, as we know Pickett was eventually benched in year 2 for Mason Rudolph. Remember when Mason started that playoff game against the Bills? That sucked but going into that game I felt more confident with Mason than I did with Kenny starting.
A benched Kenny Pickett
After the 2023 season Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles where he rode the bench and earned himself a Super Bowl ring even taking a few snaps during the blowout over the Chiefs. He was then traded that offseason to the Cleveland Browns and before unpacking his bags that offseason he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. This past offseason Pickett was signed by the Carolina Panthers to provide depth for Bryce Young, who in fact won the Heisman the year Pickett was a finalist. 5 teams in 5 years after being a Heisman finalist his final year of college. So what happened?
Well I think it is safe to say that Kenny Pickett was a bust. What he was able to do on the grid iron in college just flat out did not translate to the NFL. So I have a couple potential reasons he didn’t pan out, and I would love to hear yours.
One, The ACC was exponentially weak his final year at Pitt and was able to dominate against a bunch of bums and the NFL is just a whole different ball game and the analysts set him up for failure. This might explain why guys that come from better conferences tend to pan out earlier in the NFL. I mean look who he is backing up in Carolina right now?
Two, The Steelers panicked taking him in the first round wanting to right the wrong of missing out on Dan Marino and rushed him as the starter, and Tomlin never developed a QB in his career. This made him look so bad and the NFL passed him by as new QB’s get drafted every year. Why try to revive Pickett’s career when you can just get your own in the draft? I think this theory makes the most sense while tying into the first theory. Pickett had one good year in college playing in NOT the toughest conference. You can't just throw him in the fire right? He needs time to develop.
I think enough time has passed to confirm that no team is going to try to reinvent Kenny Pickett, he has solidified himself as a career backup. The “local” kid who brought Pitt their best season in 40 years will forever be known as “The career backup that has a Super Bowl ring”.