PITTSBURGH — Just as he had many times during his five-year career at Pitt, Kenny Pickett walked onto the practice field at the South Side facility on Friday, looking much the same as the quarterback who produced an ACC championship and became a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021.
This, though, was a little different. Perhaps even a lot different.
Even some of his former Pitt teammates came outside to see the moment.
“Different colors, shorter walk,” Pickett said, touching the black-and-gold cap on his head and acknowledging the white practice jersey with black shorts he was wearing.
The reference was to the practice field where he and the other 50 players were working out on the first day of the thee-day rookie minicamp. At Pitt, Pickett practiced on the two fields farthest from the office complex. The Steelers practice on the two fields closest to the building.
“But it’s still playing football, something I love to do,” Pickett said. “It feels great to be out there.”
It was the first day of a journey that the Steelers are hoping will eventually end with Pickett being their quarterback of the future, the eventual replacement for Ben Roethlisberger. He operated out of the huddle, got to throw to fellow rookies George Pickens and Calvin Austin III — two of the team’s top-four draft choices — and even made sure to correct a few offensive mistakes that he saw occurring on the field.
“Just being myself,” Pickett said. “I know how to operate, I know what it’s supposed to look like at a high level. If it’s not that, I voice that opinion so we make sure we try to get on same page. As the walk-through went on, you saw it went cleaner.”
That’s what Pickett thinks he has to do if he wants to compete with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph for playing time in 2022. Coach Mike Tomlin said shortly after the Steelers made him the 20th overall selection in the draft that Pickett would “certainly” be given that opportunity as a rookie.
Still, it remains to be seen if that actually happens. Trubisky and Rudolph have a combined 59 regular-season starts between them and will head to training camp as the chief combatants to replace Roethlisberger. The only way Pickett will enter the battle, he said, is knowing what he’s doing on the field.
“This is what I’m going to have to do,” Pickett said after a 75-minute practice. “I’ve got no shot if I don’t know what I’m doing, so I’m pretty much dedicating myself to the playbook and learning every detail I possibly can to give myself the best shot to operate out here. ...
“It’s all mental. I know what I have to do, know the responsibilities of everybody else on offense and learn new defenses, learn the NFL. There’s a lot that goes into it. I’m excited to dedicate myself to it and, over time, be the best I can be and learning as much as I can.”
Then he added: “I’m doing as much as I can to feel good out here so I can play fast. That’s the whole key.”
For now, Pickett is trying to learn more than just the offense and what other guys are supposed to be doing. He also needs to learn the names of his rookie teammates because “I call guys out to help and I have no clue who I’m talking to.”
He did with one fellow rookie — fullback/tight end Connor Heyward, the team’s sixth-round draft choice. Heyward said Pickett tried to get him to come to Pitt when he was being recruited out of high school, then saw him when he entered the transfer portal and visited the Pitt campus.
“It’s really cool to see him end up here, right next door, and how every year he got better and he’s a Heisman Trophy finalist,” Heyward said. “He’s here to work. His presence in the huddle is really good.”
Pickett received a congratulatory call from Trubisky after he was drafted and got another last week from Roethlisberger. He also said he heard from Rudolph.
“It was awesome,” he said of the call from Roethlisberger. “He said he’s always there for me if I have any questions. He’s an unbelievable player, a Hall of Famer, definitely a guy I will use as a resource.”
