PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said sometimes they are more critical of players at Pitt because of the closeness. This time it was the ability to watch him grow his senior year that helped attract Colbert and Mike Tomlin to drafting Kenny Pickett with their first-round pick.
“You watch him grow over the years,” Colbert said having watched many of his games at Heinz Field. “It was a good move for him to stay in school. That just preaches about what you can do when you stay and continue to develop and turn into a first-round pick. Kenny is special.”
“It was a good thing for him to go back to school and gain another year of college experience,” Tomlin said. “He is 24-years-old. He is a mature young man. You do see maturity in his game. All of those things will put him in position to compete (to start).”
Tomlin confirming Pickett will get the opportunity to be the starter next season, even with a pair of quarterbacks already signed. Colbert said they weren’t desperate to draft a quarterback, but were surprised that the Pitt star was still available.
“We wanted to address it if we could because QB is the most critical spot in the National Football League,” Colbert said. “That’s not to take anything away from Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph. We got three young quarterbacks. It’s going to be great competition and they will all be in it to be the starter. We have three real good options.”
What separated it for the Steelers on Pickett?
“We talked about his high floor because of his intangibles,” Tomlin said. “Also, the anticipation and the pro accuracy were very obvious and consistent when studying his tape.”
“I think he continued to grow,” Colbert said. “Sure, he can create plays, but he finds receivers when he is creating. He is not going to necessarily going to scramble for 40-yards, 50-yards, but he might buy a little time to his left and still be able to throw to his right. There is no panic in the young man and that’s exciting.”
“He was like a first-year NFL player (last year at Pitt), a mature player at that position that obviously helped Pitt and hopefully helps us.”
That maturity was not only what you saw on highlights.
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“We not only watch them on the field but off the field,” Colbert said. “How they huddle with their teammates. How they interact with their coaches. How they conduct media interviews.”
“We talked to Kenny about how he is going to handle this in this market going from a University of Pittsburgh great to a potential Steeler great. It will be different for him. He won’t be a college player any longer, he will be a professional. There will be different expectations, but we feel the maturity he displayed on and off the field will help him in that endeavor.”
Hand size
It reportedly was a drawback for some teams, Pickett’s smaller hands. It obviously did not impact the Steelers thinking.
“It wasn't for us,” Colbert said. “Honestly, I never paid attention to it. I believe it was the Clemson game, and there were other scouts here, and they said, you know he's got a small hand? And I said, no, thanks for sharing.”
“But it really didn't matter because it was never a factor. His fumble rate was not anywhere near a problem. He could certainly throw the football. Sometimes we get hung up on all that analytical measurements and short arms and long arms and so on and so forth.”
“I just want to see the results. I know Coach does, too. It certainly didn't affect him.”
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“We circled the globe or at least the United States here the last several months just exploring and researching and it’s funny, we ended up with the guy next door,” Tomlin said.