Falcons HC Arthur Smith Has High Praise for Steelers Rookie QB

Getty Kenny Pickett warms up.

Once the Atlanta Falcons failed to acquire Deshaun Watson and then traded away longtime starter Matt Ryan to Indianapolis, they were in dire need of a quarterback.

Thankfully, the 2022 NFL Draft was right around the corner.

Sure, they were able to bring in Marcus Mariota as a short-term answer, but they knew the 29-year-old vet wouldn’t be the face of the franchise in the long run.

Thus, they were counting on the draft for that answer.

Falcons Pass on Pickett in 2022 Draft

For months, even a year before, the Falcons were linked to the Pitt Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett at No. 8 overall. General manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith even attended his Pro Day together.

But instead, the Falcons opted to draft wide receiver Drake London as their first-round pick and Pickett went to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 23––the first quarterback to go off of the draft board.

Atlanta didn’t pick up a quarterback until the third round at 74th overall: Desmond Ridder out of Cincinnati.

Ridder was deemed the “most NFL-ready” QB to come out of the draft by Pro Football Focus. However, we are 13 Weeks into the 2022 season and Ridder has yet to play a regular-season snap.

Meanwhile, Pickett took over Mitch Trubisky’s starting job in Week 4.

Falcons Set to Face Pickett

Now, the Falcons are set to face Pickett, a quarterback that could have been theirs if they wanted him to be, on Sunday.

In his first eight games as a rookie QB, Pickett has logged 1,600 yards and six total touchdowns for the Steelers. Sure his first two game where he threw four interceptions wasn’t a pretty start, but you can tell that he is really starting to get the hang of things in the big league.

In fact, through his three most recent starts, Pickett has led the Steelers to a 2-1 record with an average of 212.7 passing yards, .03 touchdowns, and no interceptions a game.

And his forward progress behind the line of scrimmage isn’t going noticed by Arthur Smith.

“He’s a very smart player so you can see that growth,” Smith said during a pre-game press conference on Wednesday, November 30.  “There’s a lot of things that happened and I think the thing that goes unnoticed is how different these pockets are from college, that’s a thing you can never replicate in practice. It’s easy to throw when no one is at your feet. That’s where the game is so much different in my personal opinion.”

Aside from Pickett, Steelers’ wide receiver George Pickens is another player that stands out to Smith and another player that the Falcons passed on in the 2022 draft.

“Talented player, made a big play the other night right there on the sideline that Pickett threw to him, physical player,” Smith said. “They’ve got a good group of skill players. It’ll be a challenge and certainly, he’s somebody you can see that Kenny Pickett’s getting comfortable throwing to and somebody you’ve got to account for.”

Entering Week 13, Pickens has reeled in 36 receptions for 510 yards and two touchdowns.