Steelers' Kenny Pickett Receives Big Praise From Former Coach "He'll Lead Them To A Super Bowl, I Have No Questions About It."

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the first full year of Kenny Pickett leading the offense, and there has been a lot of momentum growing ever since the end of the 2022 NFL regular season. Many media outlets have been predicting the Steelers to be a playoff team in 2023, despite them playing in one of the hardest divisions in the entire league. One of the popular figures in the football community that knows Pickett the best, Pittsburgh Panthers Head Coach Pat Narduzzi, recently went on the Next Up With Adam Breneman podcast and shared what characteristics and traits Pickett possesses that will lead the Steelers to success. 

Narduzzi was Pickett's head coach throughout his entire five-year career at Pittsburgh, so it is safe to say he probably still knows Pickett better than anyone within the Steelers organization and knows exactly what he can bring to a team. There has been growing confidence around Pickett's leadership abilities this offseason, and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has especially said he sees a difference in how the second-year player is carrying himself. Breneman asked Narduzzi if there was anything the public doesn't know about Pickett, and Narduzzi spoke about his willingness to win. 

"He'll will you to win, and that's what the Steelers are going to get out of Kenny Pickett. He'll will you to win. You can talk about hand size and his height, you know the football intangibles, all the knowledge he has I mean, he is a worker and he'll will you to win." 

Narduzzi spoke a lot about how Pickett is just a winner, and he is not wrong as Pickett led Pittsburgh to an ACC Championship in 2021. Before winning the ACC Championship, Pickett led Pittsburgh to winning the ACC Coastal Division Championship in his first full season as the starting quarterback in 2018. This was the first time winning the division championship in school history. The transition to the NFL seemed a little difficult for Pickett as he had a record of 7-5 as the starting quarterback for the Steelers during 2022, but found his groove towards the end of the season going 6-2 in his last eight starts.  

How Far Can Pickett Lead The Steelers?

While there is no question that Pickett and the rest of the Steelers will show great improvement from last season, they are playing in an extremely loaded and experienced AFC that will be a tall task to get past in postseason play. The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are all teams that have had recent playoff success that are expected to be playing in the postseason for years to come. The Steelers will have to find a way to get on their level and be competitive, and Narduzzi is fully confident that Pickett is the man for the job. 

"He's a natural leader and he'll lead the Steelers just like he led the Panthers to a championship. He'll lead them to a Super Bowl, I have no questions about it." 

Narduzzi does know a thing or two about Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in Pittsburgh, as he was on Miami Of Ohio's coaching staff in 2003. This was Ben Roethlisberger's last season before getting drafted by the Steelers, and the same year he finished top seven in voting for the Heisman Trophy. If Pickett has anything similar to the career of Roethlisberger, all Steelers fans would be happy. 

The Steelers would not have used a first-round pick on Pickett had they not felt he would be a great successor to Roethlisberger. It's no guarantee he will have as successful of a career as some of the Steelers quarterbacks that came before him, but he has all the traits and characteristics of a proven winner that will certainly find a way to win at the highest level of football. 

Do you think Pickett has a chance to win a Super Bowl in his career, Steeler Nation? Let us know in the comments below!

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