PITTSBURGH (93.7 the Fan) Does Kenny Pickett have the ability to be a regular starter in the NFL?
According to former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, Pickett doesn’t have the potential to to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
In fact, Lombardi doesn’t think any of the quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft class stand out as possible stars.
Lombardi joined the PM Team on 93.7 the Fan on Friday to discuss Pickett and his future in the NFL and Lombardi didn’t hold back on his thoughts.
“Everything about him says backup quarterback.”
Lombardi mentioned that during his time as general manager, he did take a quarterback’s hand size in to account.
When the temperature dips it’s harder for QBs with smaller hands to hold the football; Lombardi also mentioned that football is a “game of giants.”
When talking about the heights of quarterbacks like Malik Willis, he looked at Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield being shorter and not being good enough because of their height.
While Pickett stands at 6-foot-3, his hand size was among the smallest of quarterbacks in the upcoming draft.
Lombardi’s take of Pickett being a career backup doesn’t quite matchup with what was written by Tom Pelissero on NFL.com.
Pelissero has Pickett ranked as the second best QB in the upcoming draft and NFL coaches and executives see Pickett’s potential.
“People are focused on the wrong s---,” a coach said regarding Pickett’s hand size.
"The Pitt kid's athletic. He's got plenty of arm. He's really got all the tools that you need," an AFC quarterbacks coach said.
"Just his demeanor, coming away from center, how he handled everything, Pickett was the most impressive," an AFC executive said.
Lombardi stated that he thinks Matt Corral, if he can stay healthy, is the top quarterback available in the 2022 draft.