Diontae Johnson likes what he saw from the Steelers’ first-round draft pick, Kenny Pickett, on Saturday. Pickett took the field for only two drives but commanded the Steelers down the football field for an easy touchdown drive. On the drive, Pickett only rocketed one incomplete pass, and that was a spike. On the day, he finished 6 for 7 with 76 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson was one of the players who were out on the field with Pickett for the entire drive. In fact, Johnson would have caught the touchdown if it was not called back by offsetting penalties. Even still, the rookie looked poised, confident, and ready to go from the jump. That stood out to Johnson right away.
“I feel like he was comfortable out there,” Johnson said. “To get us down the field in that two-minute drive period, that was something we were working on throughout camp the whole. He just looked relaxed and like he had been there before. Luckily, we had the starters out there to keep him going and keep that motivation.”
That is now Pickett’s second consecutive game with a two-minute drive in it. To say the least, Johnson was not taken aback by the fact that Pickett could command the unit down the field again. He had just done it before, after all. Johnson was more impressed by the poise that Pickett showed throughout the drive. It was the leadership and magnetism that he carries that galvanized the players around Pickett.
“He showed he could do it in the first preseason game,” Johnson said. “Man, he showed poise, showed that he was in the pocket and comfortable. Kenny took a few hits, but he was ready to bounce back and get us going. Everybody respects him in the huddle. So, when he comes into the huddle, he takes charge. I’ve seen that early in training camp as well. Everybody’s comfortable with him in there.”
Diontae Johnson felt comfortable enough with Pickett to almost break a slant for a touchdown. Then, he almost caught a touchdown from Pickett outside of his frame. It is fair to say that Pickett is growing as a leader and is impressing those around him. Even if it was just one measly two-minute drill, Pickett’s confidence and poise have the looks of a true pro already. If he wants to continue his push for the starting job, that will have to continue until a final decision is made.