Former NFL head coach explains why Kenny Pickett is more seasoned than Ben Roethlisberger
Being the successor to a two-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Fame quarterback is no easy task. And yet, that’s exactly what Kenny Pickett is facing as his Pittsburgh Steelers career rolls on.
While Pickett may not be Ben Roethlisberger just yet, that doesn’t mean he can’t be. Dave Wannstedt, former NFL head coach and current Fox Sports analyst, actually believes Pickett is a bit more seasoned than Roethlisberger coming from college and into the NFL.
Wannstedt stated his case during a recent appearance on Colin Cowherd’s podcast.
“He’s just such a winner and such a competitor,” Wannstedt said. “Maybe his arm strength isn’t Ben Roethlisberger, but I think the guy’s probably more athletic and he’s played at more big games at this point than Ben did. Coming out of college, Ben did not play at the level that Kenny Pickett did for four years against Division I schools and beat some really good opponents.
“I think all that stuff is part of him and he’s very confident. They’re expecting championships. This is not Pickett’s good enough to get to the playoffs as long as we play good defense and run the ball. They see Kenny Pickett as a Super Bowl-type quarterback for them.”
Kenny Pickett analyzes Steelers’ offense in training camp
As a rookie in 2022, Pickett played in 13 games. Over the course of an inconsistent rookie campaign, he completed 63% of his passes for 2,404 yards. He added seven touchdowns to nine interceptions. It was good for sixth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Now in training camp, Pickett recently broke down what he’s seen in the team’s offense to this point in the season.
“Yeah, a lot more comfortable than last season, obviously,” Pickett said. “I think we did a good job with spring and building on those things… I think it kind of showed out there in the first week with how smooth we were running. There were no — guys were where they needed to be and I thought it was pretty cool and pretty crisp, you know, all being for the first week.”
One player on Pittsburgh’s offense who has stood out to Pickett is second-year wideout George Pickens. In particular, Pickett has been impressed with his improved route running.
“He’s definitely worked on his routes,” Pickett said. “The full route tree he has, the crispness with his routes. He’s locked in mentally. He’s doing a good job learning the system and playing different spots, so we can move him around more, which is great.”
Pickens was a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. His connection with Pickett is going to be incredibly important moving forward for the Steelers. If the viral video of him making an insane catch during training camp is any indicator, then Pickett is ready to make that jump after a big rookie season.