Kenny Pickett is an American football quarterback who shall play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Steelers as the 20th overall pick.

 In the first pre-season game of his rookie season against the Seattle Seahawks, Pickett impressed the team as he threw for 95 yards in 13 passes completed out of the 15 attempted and passed for two touchdowns.

Pickett was born on June 6th, 1998 in Oak Hurst, New Jersey. He attended Ocean Township High School where he excelled as a footballer early on, with 247Sports ranking Pickett as the 23rd best High School Footballer in New Jersey. Throughout his school career, he passed for 4,670 yards with 43 touchdowns and rushed for 873 yards and 17 touchdowns.

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He committed to play his collegiate football at the University of Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Panthers, and despite being a backup throughout his freshman year in 2017, he got off to a flying start in his college career- starting the final game of the season against 2nd ranked Miami hurricanes and causing a huge upset, by leading the Panthers to an unlikely victory. In that game, he completed 18 of 29 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown, and also rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns. 

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Pickett was promptly made a starter in his sophomore season- taking the field in all 14 games and completing 180 of 310 passes for 1,969 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He rewarded the Panthers for their faith leading the team to their first-ever ACC Coastal Division Championship in his first season as a full-time starter. He continued his fine form into the 2019 and 20 seasons, completing 289 of 469 passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in his 12 starts in 2019, and throwing for 2,408 yards and 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions during the Covid-19 curtailed season in 2020. 

Pickett decided to continue with the Panthers in 2021 instead of registering for the Draft and emerged as one of the nation’s top players that season, recording 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns, thereby leading the Panthers to their best-ever finish since 1976. He set school records for single-season yards and touchdowns, as well as career yards and touchdowns. He was thus awarded as a first-team All-American, and was one of the main contenders for the Heisman Trophy, finishing in 3rd place eventually. 

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As the 20th pick this year, Picket became the first quarterback to be drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett enters the NFL battle-hardened, with five years of experience playing for the Panthers. Particularly, his improvement since 2020 has been tremendous and bodes well for him as he takes the next step up. He has a good height and an above-average frame for a quarterback and his athleticism and arm strength provide him with the necessary tools to conjure up a sumptuous, deep, and accurate ball, especially when in rhythm. Cynics point to the size of his hands- which are notably small as a potential weak link in his game. He also has somewhat of an inconsistent timing to his throws, which he will need to iron out as he makes his way into elite football.