NFL player comparisons for Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping they found their next franchise quarterback in Kenny Pickett. Here are his high-end, low-end, and most likely NFL player comparisons.
This is one of my favorite articles I do each year. Whether you are a connoisseur of the game or a casual football watcher, fans always seem interested to know who their players could be like in the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers might have made their most important draft selection since taking Ben Roethlisberger all the way back in 2004. In the National Football League, nothing is more important than your franchise quarterback.
But what sort of player will Kenny Pickett be at the next level? Based on my extensive research and film study of the former Pitt quarterback, here are my high-end, low-end, and most likely NFL player comparisons for Pickett:
High-end NFL comparison: Derek Carr
With these comparisons, I try to be as realistic as possible. Sadly, Pickett will never be in the Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen breed of NFL quarterback, as he simply doesn’t possess the arm talent those guys have.
While a high-end NFL comparison of Joe Burrow makes some sense, Burrow has become an outlier in every meaning of the word, and it’s unlikely he will reach that level of early success. Burrow did have the greatest college season we have ever seen and was the number one overall pick for a reason.
Instead, I think Derek Carr is who Kenny Pickett could be if he reaches his upside. This isn’t a knock at all. For much of his career, I have viewed Carr as somewhere between the 9th and 13th best QB in the league.
Both players have remarkable similar size and athletic traits and can extend the play and keep their eyes down the field. I think Carr’s arm strength is better, but it would be an absolute treat for Pittsburgh if Pickett could be Derek Carr for them.