Kenny Pickett’s fingers acquired loads of consideration main as much as the 2022 NFL Draft. Together with questions relating to his hand dimension, Pickett’s choice to put on gloves on each his throwing and non-throwing hand has raised eyebrows, as most quarterbacks choose to go with no glove on their throwing hand.
The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback lately shared the rationale why he wears gloves on each fingers throughout video games. It dates to Pickett’s sophomore season at Pitt, when the Panthers hosted North Carolina on a cold November night time.
“I did it as soon as my sophomore 12 months, however actually after that North Carolina recreation you known as, I caught with it after that recreation,” Pickett mentioned throughout a current look on The Pat McAfee Present. “After that recreation, I form of caught with it. Coach (Mark) Whipple was like, ‘You understand, it does not need to be chilly to rock the gloves.’ So I’ve worn them since then on out. … It is simply form of one thing that I take pleasure in and I simply really feel extra snug with it.”
Given his success that night time towards the Tar Heels, Pickett’s choice to stay with sporting two gloves makes excellent sense. He threw for 359 yards that included a 74-yard landing cross. Pickett additionally ran for 2 scores whereas main the Panthers to a 34-27 win.
Pickett mentioned that his transition from faculty to professional soccer has been easy. He mentioned that he inserted an NFL soccer into his coaching final 12 months in an effort to assist put together him for all times on the subsequent degree. So far as the Steelers’ offense is worried, Pickett feels that offensive coordinator Matt Canada will look to showcase his mobility, in addition to the mobility of the remainder of the workforce’s quarterbacks. Mobility was one factor the Steelers’ brass wasn’t shy about when discussing what it needed from Ben Roethlisberger’s preliminary successor.
“That is a facet of my recreation that I am excited to point out,” mentioned Pickett, whose notorious pretend slide in Pitt’s win over Wake Forest in final 12 months’s ACC title recreation led to the creation of a brand new NCAA rule. “I feel the sport’s form of modified. You look across the league, quite a lot of guys are athletic they usually lengthen performs, and that is how quite a lot of huge performs occur. Coach Whipple actually helped my recreation, hold my eyes down the sector and discovering receivers and making huge time performs. In order that’s one thing I feel I will positively use in Coach Canada’s offense, and he naturally form of integrates it with how he strikes the pocket and does quite a lot of nice issues. So I am excited to form of present that this camp.”