Pickett continues to forge Pitt football history

Kenny Pickett brought the University of Pittsburgh its most stellar season in decades with an ACC Championship in 2021. After forging history with a record-shattering season, Pickett now returns to Pittsburgh with the Steelers with the chance to set blaze more history for the program, and the city, as the Steelers selected Pickett with the 20th selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

When Pickett received the call, he had a good idea of who it was and what if was for.

"I'm pretty familiar with the area code," Pickett said Thursday. "So I had a pretty good idea of who it was. To be honest I was speechless. It's a lifelong--23 years of hard work to get to this point, and that all came in a phone call. It was probably one of the best moments of my life, and I'm so excited to get started and get to work with the guys who are next door to me my whole career with the Pittsburgh Panthers ... When I saw that 412 number though, I was kind of overwhelmed with emotions and just unbelievable. I can't wait to go next door."

Pickett's being selected makes him Pitt's first player to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Aaron Donald was selected 13th overall by the Rams in 2013, and the 26th player in program history to be selected in the first round.

While Pickett's new coach. Tomlin, was busy making the phone call to Pickett from the same building Pickett practiced at with Pitt over five seasons at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Pickett's former coach, Pat Narduzzi was on-hand with Pickett at his draft party in New Jersey to celebrate the moment with him.

"The Steelers are not only getting a tremendous quarterback," Narduzzi said, per Pitt's Twitter account. "But also one of the finest leaders and toughest competitors I've ever been around. I have no doubt he wants to leave his draft party right now and get to work on the playbook with coach Tomlin and coach (Matt) Canada, That's the type of commitment Kenny displayed at Pitt and will continue to have next door. Beyond the field, Kenny is already such a wonderful asset for the Pittsburgh community. He greatly values the importance of giving back as he showed with his NIL efforts. This is a huge victory for the Steelers and Pitt."

Pickett's return to Pittsburgh as a professional quarterback is a storybook ending to his journey with Pitt football. After becoming a team leader over four seasons, Pickett could've forgone his fifth year of eligibility granted because of the COVID waiver and entered the 2020 NFL Draft as a projected day three pick who would've been selected in the later rounds. But his decision to return for a 2021 season not only led to him leading Pitt to an eleven-win season, an ACC Championship and him receiving the third-most votes for the Heisman Trophy, but it also vastly improved his NFL Draft stock.

His 2021 season shattered several of Pitt's all-time passing records. He 81 career passing touchdowns surpassed Dan Marino's 79, just as his 42 passing touchdowns in 2021 also passed Marino for most by a Pitt quarterback in a single season, and surpassed Deshaun Watson for a new ACC record. His 12,303 career passing yards also surpassed Alex Van Pelt for most in program history, while his 4,319 passing yards in 2019 surpassed Rod Rutherford's 2003 season for the most ever by a Panther quarterback.

Now, Pickett will get the chance to return to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and put his sights on making more history with the professional team that trained next to him since he joined Pitt as a freshman in 2017. The Steelers' picking Pickett will make him the 51st Pitt player to officially be with the Steelers.

"Can't wait to get back home tomorrow and get to work next door," Pickett said Thursday night. "It's a dream come true. I'm chasing my dreams and we're going to win a Super Bowl soon."

Pickett's joining Marino as the second quarterback in program history to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft was met with joy from Pitt fans and Pitt football alumni.

Pitt's success in 2021 and the national confidence with a strong returning roster that had the Panthers ranked No. 9 in ESPN's preseason FPI rankings has been a boost to the recruiting efforts of Narduzzi and his staff. Those results already began showing when Pitt received its first commitment for its 2024 class in the way of four-star defensive tackle Jahsear Whittington from Philadelphia, Pa. Now, Whittington told DK Pittsburgh Sports that part of what sold him on Pitt football was the facilities being so close to the Steelers at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Pickett played a huge role in that 2021 campaign that's helped the recruiting efforts, and now he'll be part of the Steelers working right next to Pitt, and a shining example for Narduzzi to show off to recruits about where they could end up if they chose Pitt in the recruiting process.