Megan Briggs/Getty Images Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws the ball against the Miami Dolphins on October 23, 2022.
Four games into his young career, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has struggled to get results, in large part because he’s thrown seven interceptions in 218 offensive snaps — a 5.5% interception rate. But Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t seem too concerned, even though he would prefer to witness better results.
“(Tomlin) sees something he likes. He sees something beyond whatever the numbers are, and certainly beyond those trying-a-little-too-hard interceptions there at the end (of the Dolphins) game,” said Dejan Kovacevic during the Aug. 26 edition of DK Sports’ The Ramon Foster Show. “That’s not all that common with this head coach. He’s not one to go embracing young players. He wants them to earn it,” concluded Kovacevic, before asking the show’s namesake — former Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster — what Tomlin sees in his rookie QB.
“Number one I think it’s because Kenny is ‘The Guy.’ Almost everyone that I’ve listened to talk about Kenny Pickett … nobody is really saying anything bad about Kenny because they all see the talent which he has. They all see the attitude and how he approaches the game,” said Foster. “I think coach knows he can build off of this. I think coach knows also this is my quarterback.”
Mike Tomlin: Kenny Pickett ‘Is a Fish in Water’
Tomlin seemed to confirm as much during his press conference on Oct. 25 when he was asked how Pickett has responded to challenging circumstances.
“He is a fish in water. It’s a natural act for him. He is a competitor. He’s got a thirst for it. It’s been fun being in them circumstances. Obviously we want the outcomes to be different but the communicating with him professionally and to watch him operate and to watch his demeanor and to watch his approach to the circumstances is exciting and refreshing,” offered Tomlin.
Kenny Pickett the Next Eli Manning?
That said, one has to project what Pickett can be, given a certain amount of time and NFL game experience. Nick Kostos, who hosts a sports radio show on WFAN in New York, thinks he has the answer, having tweeted:
“Pickett is gonna be awesome. Early growing pains. Reminds me a little of a young Eli Manning.”
Pickett is gonna be awesome. Early growing pains. Reminds me a little of a young Eli Manning
If you’re a Steelers fan, that’s something of a good news-bad news comparison. The good news is that Eli Manning — selected No. 1 overall (by the Chargers) in the 2004 NFL Draft, the same draft in which the Steelers selected Ben Roethlisberger — had two magical playoff runs that culminated in Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
The bad news is that Manning’s career — taken as a whole — was decidedly average. He was 117-117 as a starter and went to the Pro Bowl a relatively modest four times in 16 years. Moreover, he produced an 84.1 career passer rating, which is Mason Rudolph territory.
But like Pickett, Manning struggled during his rookie year, playing on a team that was coming off a 4-12 season.
As a rookie he produced a 1-6 record as a starter and completed just 48.2% of his passes with six touchdowns and nine interceptions for a passer rating of 55.4, as per Pro Football Reference. The following year went much better for Eli Manning and the Giants, as he went 11-5 as a starter and improved his passer rating to 75.9, though he still threw 17 interceptions.
In fact, Manning continued to throw a relatively high percentage of interceptions throughout his career, establishing a new career high of 27 in 2013. But if Pickett could lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles, well, Steelers fans would sign up for that right now.