Last Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett with the firm desire to soon be the quarterback who will set a different course for the team and thus aspire to reach the Super Bowl.
Although the 24-year-old is a promising talent who has been closely tracked, he must first prove that he has the mental toughness to make plays when pressure is at its highest on the field.
Healthy internal competition
Furthermore, before thinking that the starting job will be given to him automatically, he must overcome what Mitchell Trubisky can show in practice. However, it is a fact that the battle between both quarterbacks to win the job has already begun.
In that regard, Mike Tomlin in his role as head coach began to create a healthy competition in the locker room by leaving open the possibility that Pickett could be the quarterback to start the season.
“He certainly has a chance. I agree with that sentiment of his readiness from a professional perspective,” he said during the draft.
Statistics show that quarterbacks selected in the first round generally manage to earn the starting job from the season opener and perhaps Trey Lance, as well as Justin Field, are among the few exceptions in recent years.
A homegrown player
In this sense, Kenny Pickett has a great chance to open the season in September, because the route he followed in the collegiate league shows his character as a leader capable of benching Mitchell Trubisky, because, although this quarterback was a starter in Chicago he has not yet managed to consolidate his career, which makes him vulnerable.
In addition, Pickett is already familiar with the city and the facilities where the Steelers train, since the college team where he played at the collegiate level, the Panthers, also trains there.
That’s why Mike Tomlin made a double bet on signing the youngster.
“What really attracted us to him is that he had a pro-level anticipation. We hope that will be an advantage for him in terms of being able to compete and be prepared if his performance requires it,” he said.
Marca
