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Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback and NFL prospect Kenny Pickett is at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. While he was there, he shared an incredible story about how Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning changed his life.
While speaking at the NFL Combine, the 23-year-old signal-caller discussed how Manning gave him insight on returning to Pittsburgh after the 2020 season:
“The decision to come back to Pitt after that 2020 year, Peyton gave me a lot of insight that helped me make that decision. The best decision for me was to come back to school. Obviously, I’m in a better situation this year than I was last year if I had decided to come out. I’m really grateful for all of the advice he gave me.”
In the 2021 college football season for the Panthers, the senior quarterback threw for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 13 games. His passing yards were the sixth-most in all of Division I college football and second in the ACC. The 42 touchdown passes led the ACC and was fourth in college in the 2021 season.
He was responsible for 47 of the Pittsburgh’s touchdowns (42 passing and five rushing), which was fourth in the nation and second in the ACC. The quarterback won three awards for his efforts in 2021.
Pickett was the 2021 AAC Offensive Player of the Year, 2021 ACC Player of the Year, and 2021 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award recipient. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy race in 2021.
Possible Landing Spots for Pickett in the NFL Draft
The Panthers quarterback is the number one quarterback on many NFL Draft analyst draft boards, and there a number of teams that could to draft him in April.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who hold the 20th pick in this year’s draft, could draft Pickett as a successor to the retired Ben Roethlisberger. Plus, he has played in Heinz Field as it’s also where the Panthers play their home games.
Second, the Washington Commanders are in the 11th spot and are seen as a landing spot, especially if the team is unsure of quarterback Taylor Heinicke or willing to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Another possible landing spot would be the Carolina Panthers if they don’t land current Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson. Although Carolina has exercised its fifth-year option on quarterback Sam Darnold, drafting a signal caller in the draft is not out of the question.
Where will the senior Panthers quarterback land in the 2022 NFL Draft? We’ll find out soon enough in April.
