The Steelers were so good at disguising their preference for Kenny Pickett in the 2022 NFL Draft that their next door neighbor, Pat Narduzzi was deceived.
In fact, even when Mike Tomlin called to tell Narduzzi, Pitt's head football coach, on Thursday night to tell him the Steelers had selected Pickett with the 20th pick in the draft, Narduzzi still didn't believe it.
Narduzzi was on hand at Pickett's draft party in New Jersey and saw his star quarterback was on the phone after receiving a call while the Saints, who owned the 19th pick in the draft, were still on the clock.
Everyone at the party assumed Pickett was going to New Orleans.
"There was some tape delay on TV, like for everybody," Narduzzi said. "As the whole thing was going on, Kenny got the call and he bent over and it was, ‘OK, New Orleans Saints, right?’ The Saints were still on the clock, it wasn’t like, ‘The Pick is In.’ We thought he was going to the Saints. We’re all hooting and hollering.
"Then, my phone rings at 10:12 (p.m.). It was Coach Tomlin. I’m like, ‘Why is Coach Tomlin calling?’ He says, ‘Hey, did you see who got him?’ I said, ‘Yeah, the Saints. You’re one off.’ He says, ‘No, we got him.’ It was like we were in a movie. Then, we find out it was the Steelers and he’s got a baseball hat on. That’s kind of how the whole thing went. You talk about being in a moment? It was wild."
Wild indeed.
After notably passing on former Pitt star Dan Marino in the 1983 draft, a move that late Steelers owner Dan Rooney always regretted, the Steelers didn't pass on Pickett, making him the first quarterback selected in this year's draft and the only quarterback selected in the draft's first round.
Pickett might never be a future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback such as Marino. In fact, the odds say he won't be. But he did break many of Marino's passing records at Pitt.
Unlike in 1983, when Pitt played its games at Pitt Stadium in the Oakland section of the city and the Steelers were at Three Rivers Stadium, Pitt and the Steelers share a stadium in Heinz Field. They also share a practice facility at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex, with Pitt having the right side of the building and the Steelers occupying the left.
"Usually I get to say, 'Welcome to Pittsburgh.' Today I get to say welcome to this side of the building," said Steelers president Art Rooney II Friday as he introduced Pickett to the media for the first time as a member of the Steelers. "It's a great feeling to be able to do that. It's also something for me to be able to say we drafted somebody who broke all of Dan Marino's records in college. It's pretty special."
But that is not why the Steelers selected Pickett with the 20th pick in the draft. It wasn't any kind of mea culpa for passing on Marino. They believe Pickett was the best quarterback in this draft and has a chance to be special.
Pickett is considered a high-floor, low-ceiling player. But he doesn't necessarily believe that is a fair assessment, noting he got better in each of his five seasons at Pitt.
Comparisons on Pickett have ranged from the Vikings' Kirk Cousins to former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.
"I mean, they're all great. You're talking about pros. That's why I said, ‘there's no slight I take for any comparison.’ You know, I just always try to improve. If there’s something I can take from somebody's game, I’m always going todo that," Pickett said. "That's why I'm excited to get to learn from, you know, Mason (Rudolph) and Mitch (Trubisky) and see what they do well, and see if I can incorporate that with what I do. You're always learning you're always evolving. So, looking forward to doing that."
Obviously, Pickett made his biggest jump as a player in his final season, when he passed on the opportunity to enter the draft in 2021 to return to Pitt.
But he didn't do that to necessarily improve his draft stock. He did so because he felt the Panthers had a chance to put together a special season.
"This is where I wanted to be when I made that decision to come back, I set out to do it," Pickett said. "I had great support from my coaches and my teammates. I knew we had a really special group, there at Pitt. If I came back, I felt like we had a great shot to win a championship and that's exactly what we did. And when you win championships, things kind of fall in line for you know, the individuals on the team. So, this is exactly where you know, I thought I would be."
Pickett completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards with 43 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while leading Pitt to an 11-2 record and an ACC championship. Pickett finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Pickett played in 52 career games and started 49 at Pitt and left the Panthers in possession of several school records, including completions (1,045), passing yards (12,303) and passing touchdowns (81). He also rushed for 809 yards and 20 touchdowns in his Pitt career.
That experience, according to both Tomlin and Kevin Colbert, should give Pickett an opportunity to compete with both Trubisky and Rudolph for the Steelers' starting job opened up with the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger after last season.
"Any competitor would want to, absolutely," Pickett said of that opportunity to play early. "I mean, but I know how to be a great teammate and how to go about my business. I'm really excited to learn from those guys. Like I said, all great people in the building. That's something I've known since I've been at Pitt. I'm excited to be a part of this organization and compete and work towards winning a championship."
And he can give his fellow rookies the tour of the city.
The Steelers always take their rookie draft class on a city tour when they bring them in for rookie minicamp. For Pickett, the tour will be perhaps a little boring considering he's spent the past five years in Pittsburgh. In fact, he might just want to be the guide.
"That’s what I said. I was like, ‘Yeah, I don't need the tour,'" he said with a laugh. "When the new guys get here, I can show them around. We’ll see what happens."
It would give him that first opportunity to take on a leadership role with his new teammates, something that is expected of any quarterback -- let alone one selected in the first round.
The pressure of being a first-round pick at that position while also doing so in the same city in which you played college football could be great. But the Steelers think Pickett has the mentality to handle it.
So does Narduzzi.
"I think the pressure is always going to be there, but that’s good because he’s a competitor and he wants to compete," Narduzzi said. "I think when you look at playing at Heinz Field … he knows where to go. He knows what he’s doing. There won’t be any of this, ‘Where am I going to live?’ He knows the area. So, there’s a little bit of both, but Kenny’s a quarterback. He’s used to dealing with pressure."
Even if he won't be used to going into the left side of the UMPC Rooney Sports Complex rather than the right.
"Coming from right next door — I walk into the building, I always peek to the left side and now I'll be calling this place home," Pickett said. "My family at home as well, my fiancé, so there's plenty of thank you’s to go out but just incredibly grateful to be here."
