Last season was a tale of two halves for then-rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. After drafting him in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, Pittsburgh didn’t immediately insert him into the starting lineup. Pickett took over for Mitch Trubisky at halftime against the New York Jets.
Pickett ended up starting 12 games, going 7-5 as a starter. This doesn’t tell the whole story as Pickett got off to a very slow start but like the rest of the team, picked things up after the bye week. Pickett finished the year 7-2 in his final nine starts.
The problem is, even when Pickett was winning, the stats didn’t really line up. Pickett finished with 2,404 passing yards with nine passing touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.
How much better will Pickett be in 2023? We are banking on a measurable improvement in multiple categories, in particular touchdown catches. Looking at a 17-game season, here is what we predict for Pickett.
3,491 passing yards
22 passing touchdowns
7 interceptions
418 rushing yards
4 rushing touchdowns
