Preseason ranking gives Kenny Pickett, Steelers bulletin-board material

Kenny Pickett will use his low Quarterback Tiers ranking as motivation to propel the Pittsburgh Steelers to plenty of victories this fall.

Apparently, not many NFL head coaches, coordinators and team executives believe in Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Pickett ranked 25th out of 30 veteran starting quarterbacks in the league in Mike Sando of The Athletic’s annual Quarterback Tiers post (subscription required). While no quarterbacks were ranked in the fifth tier this preseason, Pickett joined the likes of Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Jordan Love, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder and Gardner Minshew among … The Other Guys. Don’t go chasing waterfalls…

Whether it be a finite ceiling, a lack of arm talent, tiny Burger King hands or professional inexperience, Pickett has the ability to make up for it with intuition, leadership and a competitive edge. The best thing he has going for him is he plays for a pillar franchise in the NFL. If Pickett were playing for another franchise besides the Steelers, that may have complicated things for him.

For now, he can use these Quarterback Tiers rankings as motivation to prove his doubters wrong.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Pickett to use quarterbacking ranking as motivation

What I liked about Pickett coming out of Pittsburgh was three-fold. One, he banked a helluva lot of starts at a Power Five program. Two, his competitive edge will make him a prime candidate to win over an NFL locker room full of alpha males. And three, he was the most pro-ready quarterback in his draft class, albeit one where he was the only signal-caller taken in the first round back in 2022.

As far as what Pickett can be at his best, some say he could be the next Mac Jones, which doesn’t sound too promising. To me, I’ve thought he could potentially be a Kirk Cousins or a more athletic version of Jared Goff or Matt Ryan. Either way, we are comparing one possible franchise quarterback to others. It is why Pickett went in the first round. His floor is too high to be ignored.

Ultimately, I don’t know if he has it in him to be a top-12 passer in the league, as the talent at the top end of the NFL is too daunting. However, Pickett does play for the right organization that will continually put him in advantageous positions to succeed. Once again, where you land matters, as Pickett could not have possibly landed in a better spot professionally than his adopted hometown.

If Pittsburgh were to make the AFC playoffs this winter, expect for Pickett to climb up into Tier III.