“The idea of Kenny Pickett: Day 1 Starter continues to lose steam in Pittsburgh. Mitch Trubisky has gotten the majority of first-team reps in camp, while Mason Rudolph apparently has yet to throw an interception through two-plus weeks of practice,” Hanzus writes regarding his ranking of the Steelers at No. 21 overall in the power rankings. “As for Pickett, some very rocky struggles to begin camp led to a No. 3 designations on the official depth chart released by the team. Given the underwhelming NFL career pedigree of the players ahead of Pickett, it would be shortsighted to say the former Pitt star won’t make an impact in his first season. Still, it’s clear he has a lot of work to do to earn Mike Tomlin’s trust. All part of the process.”
Realistically, nothing has truly changed in a major way to cause the Steelers to jump up or down in the power rankings. Hanzus keeping them slotted in at No. 21 overall is the right call ahead of the start of the preseason.
As Hanzus writes, the idea of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett starting Week 1 is losing steam. Although he’s struggled at times in training camp, he’s found his footing recently. Still, the snaps just aren’t Pitt overall as the Steelers are preparing Mitch Trubisky to be the starter to open the season Sept. 11 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s a little unfortunate for Mason Rudolph, who has performed very well in training camp to date, but isn’t being afforded the same opportunity, as far as preparation as the starter, that Trubisky is receiving.
It’s all a process though, not only at quarterback for the black and gold, but as a team in general that’s entering a period of transition from the front office, down to the roster, and even at their own home stadium. The 2022 season will certainly be an interesting one to follow, and it will be interesting to see how the Steelers rise and fall each week in Hanzus’s popular power rankings for NFL.com.