Many were convinced, and some even terrified, of the Carolina Panthers’ alleged affinity for Kenny Pickett last spring. Well, they didn’t love him that much—as the University of Pittsburgh quarterback slipped right by their sixth overall pick.
He didn’t, however, slip by in a recent re-draft.
This past week, The 33rd Team Scouting Department—comprised of T.J. McCreight, Kevin Cohn, Justin Casey and Evan Pritt—replayed the 2022 NFL draft. And with the original selection in left tackle Ikem Ekwonu already off the board at No. 4 to the New York Jets, the Panthers settle for an answer under center.
“The Panthers need a quarterback, so they pull the trigger on Kenny Pickett,” the mock reads. “Pickett showed he can win games in the NFL and will be a starting quarterback for years to come.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who really plucked Pickett with the 20th overall pick, went 7-5 in the rookie’s 12 starts this past season. He finished the campaign having completed 63.0 percent of his passes for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.
We have to hand it to Pickett—he did improve as his 2022 went on. But we’re pretty sure the Panthers are quite happy with how the draft actually unraveled.
