NFL reporter and insider Adam Schefter has made a bold prediction about the state of Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered this past offseason in a position that they haven’t been since the start of the 2005 season, as following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, they needed to find someone who was going to be their starting quarterback.

Mason Rudolph had been the backup for years, so he was seen as a viable candidate. Then they traded for Mitch Trubisky and handed him a two-year deal, indicating that he would be the man to take them forward. Then they drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round, a strong indicator that he was going to be the man. But finding out who is going to start the season still remained up in the air. 

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated that the team were not going to micromanage the competition between the three men looking to start, and in fairness Tomlin has given each man a fair shot to take control of the offense, but with Trubisky seemingly the first choice at this moment in time, based on him starting their two preseason games so far.

But despite his limited playing time, Pickett is fast becoming one of the stars in preseason, not just in Pittsburgh but across the league. 

Welcome to the Pickett Party

To say that Pickett’s first few games in the NFL, even if they are only preseason games, have been impressive would be an understatement, as he’s taken to the professional level like a duck to water, in his two preseason games, Pickett is a combined 19 of 22 for 171 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. 

Beyond that though, there are the intangibles that you can’t read in the box score, as he’s shown incredible poise in some of his plays and decision-making, showing that he deserves to have his name thrown into the hat to be the starting quarterback in the first few weeks of the season:

Trubisky, who has gone 9-15 for 123 passing yards, one touchdown and no interceptions is currently listed as the starter, but according to Adam Schefter, he could lose his place sooner rather than later.

What’s he said?

Speaking on NFL Live, Schefter believes that based on how things have gone in preseason, the leash on Trubisky controlling the offense might not be as long as it once might have been:

So it seems as though this year, which may have gone down as a ‘development’ year and have him sit similar to how Aaron Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers in his early days, may well end up being the start of something new for the Steelers as they look to move away from Roethlisberger.