Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett got massively insulted by a national media outlet after the NFL draft
I'm pretty sure at this point that the entire country is sleeping on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.
And I'm not sure why.
Whatever the reason, it feels like Pickett has received a significant amount of disrespect this offseason. And he got his biggest dose of disrespect this week from CBS Sports.
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CBS Sports revealed their post-draft quarterback power rankings and you have to scroll pretty far down the list, and past three rookies, to find Pickett's name all the way at No. 28.
From CBS Sports: How far does "grit" get you? Certainly few young QBs are better-suited to grow thanks to an improved Steelers front and pass-catching group, but Pickett thrived more as a late-game fighter than efficient full-timer as a rookie.
Whoever put these rankings together clearly didn't keep up with Pittsburgh in 2022.
For starters, Pickett went 7-5 as a rookie (for comparison's sake, Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow went 2-7-1 as a rookie).
Before Pickett took over as the starter, the Steelers were going nowhere fast. Things weren't perfect after Pickett took over, but much of that can be attributed to sluggish offensive line play and offensive coordinator Matt Canada's play calling (I'm not sure he knows you can throw the ball down the field in an NFL game). Despite having to overcome those obstacles, Pickett still nearly led a team that was seemingly going in the wrong direction to the playoffs.
We have no idea if any of the rookies in this class will be able to do what Pickett did as a rookie -- even Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers, has a lot to prove as a rookie.
CBS Sports even listed Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who is 0-1 in three years as a starter, above Pickett. If you're listing Love above Pickett, you're just assuming he'll be better. And that's a completely ridiculous way to compile a list of quarterback rankings.
I'm sure if Pickett sees this, he'll just shrug it off. But he should use it as motivation to prove that he should be viewed among the top young quarterbacks in the NFL.