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Kenny Pickett NFL Draft Profile
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Kenny Pickett Scouting ReportKenny has all the physical tools, where he is surprisingly well-equipped. He is a good athlete with a strong frame. With his mobility, Kenny can sidestep rushers, escape the pocket, and produce on the ground. He also has elite competitive toughness. He is clutch in crucial moments, and he plays through injuries, putting it all on the line each Saturday afternoon. Kenny has a crisp, compact, and efficient throwing motion, which easily generates velocity. With this velocity, Pickett leads receivers downfield and pushes the ball past defenders. He also fits the ball into tight spots and has the elasticity to adjust his trajectory and ball placement. Kenny flashes the ability to adjust his arm angles on throws. He also generates velocity off-platform and delivers accurate throws on the run. Even off his back foot, he creates impressive momentum. Furthermore, he can methodically place balls according to receiver leverage downfield. Pickett’s strong off-script profile is one of his most appealing features. He keeps his feet and shoulders squared toward his target, and he continually resets his base as he goes through his progressions. Kenny is poised in the pocket, he stands tall and delivers strikes even amidst contact. He knows to turn his upper body before throwing to generate maximum hip torque, and he consistently steps into his throws to maximize momentum. He has a fairly good feel for pressure around the edge, and he’s proactive in evading and extending plays. He sees the field well and attacks downfield with a gunslinger mentality once he identifies windows. He is fearless and confident as a passer. He’s willing to test tight windows with his arm and isn’t scared by a lack of space. |
Areas for ImprovementWhile Pickett has an array of positive physical and mental traits, there’s a general volatility in his game that must be ironed out in 2021. Mechanically, he is largely solid, he sometimes fades backward and throws off his back foot, causing passes to drop. His stance can also be a bit too wide at times, sapping away his velocity. His footwork, while strong, can be inconsistent against pressure, and he occasionally fades backward when rolling out of the pocket. Pickett’s fearlessness, while appealing, can sometimes be a double-edged sword. He takes many risks that he shouldn’t entertain. In the pocket, his desire to stand tough and keep his eyes ahead can lead to negative plays. Also, he doesn’t feel pressure up the middle well. As a passer, Pickett’s daring style can lead to opportunities for the defense. Several operational flaws contribute to this as well. Pickett sometimes stares down his targets, keying in defenders to close on the ball. He could more consistently use his eyes to deceive defenders. Furthermore, he’s sometimes late to pull the trigger when receivers break. His precision and ball placement can improve. He sometimes misses high when trying to force the ball ahead. While he has the capacity to adjust his ball placement, he must be more consistent here. He doesn’t always throw his receivers open, and he needs to work off leverage more effectively. He doesn’t have top-end speed or agility, even if he is a good athlete.
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Kenny Pickett Career at PittsburghIn 2017, Pat Narduzzi and the Panthers were faced with the task of replacing Nathan Peterman, who’d thrown 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions the previous year. USC transfer Max Browne and Ben DiNucci traded off somewhat in the season’s early months, but true freshman Pickett got his chance in late November against the vaunted Miami Hurricanes. Pickett led the Panthers to a win in his first start, and from that point onward, he was entrenched in the starting role. In 2018, Pickett started all 14 games, helping lead the Panthers to a Coastal Division title in the ACC. He picked up 1,969 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions with a 58.1% completion percentage. In 2019, Pickett reprised his role and took a slight step up. He missed one game due to injury but still started 12, earning 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on a 61.6% completion rate. 2020 looked as though it was going to be a breakout year for Pickett. In fact, he started the season with four straight games above a 120 rating. However, three of his final five games fell below that mark — largely due to a Grade 3 high ankle sprain. Nevertheless, Pickett still saw a career high in rating, and his yards per attempt improved from 6.6 to 7.3. All told, Pickett amassed 2,408 yards, 13 scores, and 9 picks in nine games. He also added 8 touchdowns on the ground for a total of 21 trips to the end zone.
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Kenny Pickett NFL Draft Player ProfilePickett has very good athletic ability, displaying the foot speed+acceleration to escape the pocket and some agility to make a LB miss in space. While he has a large amount of career rushing attempts, Pickett is always keeping his eyes downfield, scanning the defense while he scrambles, exhibiting a pass-first mentality when the play breaks down. He has tremendous ability to throw on the run, off platform and when contorting his body while still regularly placing the ball within the strike zone of the WR. Ball placement is one of his best attributes, Pickett understands where to place the ball to maximize YAC, or to help his target avoid a big hit from an incoming defender. From within the pocket, Pickett was asked to make full-field reads in Pitt's Pro Style Offense, and he improved drastically throughout his experienced career. Pickett’s head is constantly on a swivel, surveying the defense, which also aids in his pocket presence. Pickett has very active and efficient feet, hopping, sliding and adjusting to incoming threats that he sees or senses, pairing that with his mobility and relentless "never say die" mentality, spawns a difficult QB to sack. In addition, Pickett possesses plenty of arm strength, it’s not elite, but it certainly gets the job done. He doesn't always require space to step into his throw and generate power, which is incredibly valuable as a collapsing pocket in front of him won't lead to throwing ducks. Pickett is able to generate velocity due to a strong base and fluid hips that rotate like a well-oiled top, developing some serious zip on the ball to fit throws into tight windows and throw covered targets open. |
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