5 Steelers players with soaring stock heading into the preseason finale

#5 - Kenny Pickett

We'll get the starting quarterback out of the way quickly. This isn't a lazy take mind you, there are plenty of doubters for the second-year signal caller. His performances in the preseason won't be enough to silence them just yet, but it has given them notice to start some rough drafts for some apology letters.

In all seriousness, Kenny Pickett has had a hell of a preseason. He's 9-11 for 133 yards and two scores. He hasn't been sacked and he hasn't thrown dangerous passes.

There's almost a frustration that the fanbase can't see more of him. But his reps so far have been such high quality that it makes perfect sense to sideline him quickly to preserve the momentum into the season.

Pickett looks even more comfortable than he did after the BYE Week in his rookie campaign. He looks like a starting quarterback, and sometimes this early in the process of grooming a potential franchise quarterback, that's really all you can ask for.

He does have to continue to show this level of play when the season arrives and the games matter. No one is expecting Pickett to continue to complete 81% of his passes and preserve a nearly perfect passer rating. But he will be expected to continue to find receivers for chunk yardage and protect the football.