Steelers QB Kenny Pickett added roughly 13 pounds of muscle since 2022 season

During his rookie season in 2022, Kenny Pickett was uber-focused on learning the playbook and taking the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The rookie quarterback was thrown to the wolves against a brutal NFL schedule at halftime of Week 4, so prepping for each game became a top priority.

Now that he has a full season under his belt, Pickett has time to focus on other things. One of those is bulking up. Pickett was rag-dolled at times last year, and two hits that he took ultimately resulted in concussions. Since the 2022 season ended, Pickett expressed that he wanted to add muscle mass during the offseason. He has done exactly that.

Recently, Pickett's personal QB coach Tony Racioppi was on 93.7 The Fan to talk about the quarterback's progress in this area. Racioppi says that Pickett is weighing in around 226 pounds these days. This is up from the 213 pounds he played at for most of the season.

We aren't talking about the burger and fries type of weight here either. Pickett has been diligent in the weight room and added roughly 13 pounds of shredded beef to his frame. Racioppi added that this is a good weight for him, and he doesn't think he needs to get up into the 235-pound range.

Added weight will benefit Steelers quarterback

Admittedly, this news seems very minor this time of year with the NFL Draft looming. However, this is what Pittsburgh Steelers fans should have been hoping to hear about Pickett during his first full offseason.

Pickett is a bit of a reckless player (in a good way). He will hold onto the ball in an effort to extend the play, and he does some of his best work while rolling outside of the pocket and throwing on the run. Of course, this play style doesn't come without increased injury risk. The more you try to do with the ball in your hands, the more likely you are to be at the receiving end of some big hits.

The added weight obviously won't prevent Pickett from taking unnecessary shots. This is an area where he needs to learn to live to play another down. However, the added muscle mass should prove to help him as a runner.

Patrick Mahomes was 6'2'' and 225 pounds coming out of college, and I was hoping that Pickett would be able to add a bit more meat to his bones. The Steelers rookie measured in at 6'3 1/4'' and 217 pounds at the NFL Combine last year, so adding some mass was necessary.

Now at roughly 226 pounds, we hope that this added weight will help Pickett in his second NFL season. It will be interesting to see what other chances come with the Steelers quarterback in year two.