It's just a matter of time before Pickett gets the chance to start for the Steelers, but it'll be a while before you trust the first-round pick on your Fantasy team. Easily the most NFL-ready quarterback of the 2022 draft class, Pickett comes with four full years of experience as the Pitt starter, complete with a 62.4% completion rate and 101 total touchdowns (20 rushing). He's a good quarterback whether in the pocket or on the move but does have a history of fumbling and lagging power on deep throws. Considering his competition for playing time, headlined by former Bears and Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Pickett could be on the field sooner than later. However, quality Fantasy contributions are likely to happen later than sooner because of his inexperience and an anticipated drop in pass rate by the Steelers this year. That's why he'll only get picked with a middle/late pick in two-QB redraft formats. He'll otherwise be a second-round choice in rookie-only drafts (first five picks if it's a Superflex/two-QB).
Fantasy News
Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Gets work with second-stringers
Rotowire
Pickett moved up to the second-team offense Monday for the first padded practice of training camp, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.
Pickett reportedly struggled, albeit in a relatively short session during which most of his snaps were hand-offs. The rookie first-round pick had worked with Pittsburgh's third-team offense for the most part so far, with Mitch Trubisky leading the starters and Mason Rudolph handling second-team work. Pickett could enter Week 1 as a gameday inactive if Rudolph outperforms him this summer.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Working as No. 3 QB
Rotowire
Pickett has been the third quarterback through drills at training camp, behind presumed Week 1 starter Mitchell Trubisky and fourth-year pro Mason Rudolph, John Luciew of The Harrisburg Patriot-News reports.
Rudolph already has two years of experience with offensive coordinator Matt Canada but has thrown for only 2,366 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 384 career attempts (6.2 YPA). The Steelers went 5-4-1 in Rudolph's starts filling in for Ben Roethlisberger over the past three years, so it isn't a given that Pickett eclipses Rudolph on the depth chart by Week 1, even with a clear advantage in athleticism and draft status. The bigger question, of course, is when the rookie first-round pick will get his shot to start, which largely depends on the performance and health of Trubisky, who joined Pittsburgh on a two-year deal early in the offseason. The Steelers have deployed Trubisky as their first-team quarterback since the spring, now continuing the trend in the opening days of camp. Pickett will have a chance to shake up the competition Aug. 13, when the Steelers host the Seahawks in their preseason opener.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Staying in Pittsburgh
Rotowire
The Steelers selected Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 20th overall.
The Steelers made Pickett the first quarterback selected, setting him up for a competition against free agent pickup Mitchell Trubisky. Pickett was basically disregarded as an NFL prospect his first four years at Pittsburgh, but in his fifth year he underwent a transformation perhaps never before seen at quarterback, going from plainly bad to about as good as anyone, throwing for 4,319 yards (67.2 percent completed, 8.7 YPA) and 42 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. He'll be a dual threat at the NFL level, too, after consistently posting standout rushing totals in college. Pickett's hands are small by quarterback standards and he had trouble with fumbles in the past, so that concern will linger even if he wears gloves. It would be somewhat discouraging if he can't beat Trubisky for the starting role.
