Mark Madden: Kenny Pickett has intangibles, but Steelers' success depends on his tangible improvement

When in doubt, write about the quarterback. So here are some truths we can hold self-evident about Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett:

His intangibles often get praised, and rightly so. More tangibles have got to show up, and more frequently. But grit, moxie, etc., all those inexactitudes … Pickett’s got ’em. The most significant being leadership. He clearly has the guys with him.

None of that is surprising. Pickett’s a Type A personality, and he has played a lot of quarterback. He understands the aura and responsibility of the position.

Pickett played 52 games at Pitt. Compare that to San Francisco’s Trey Lance, who only played 19 games at FCS school North Dakota State and still looks lost three years into his NFL career despite being picked third overall in the 2021 draft.

Pickett led a great drive in Friday’s exhibition win at Tampa. That gives him three drives of note on his entire pro resume.

Only the first two counted. Pickett needs more tangibles.

Steelers fans will be patient. Pickett is more popular now than Ben Roethlisberger ever was, and Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls. The citizens defend Pickett. They attacked Ben.

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Pittsburgh never has been much of a quarterbacks town. Ask Terry Bradshaw.

But Pickett has the edge of having gone to Pitt. That school’s limp fan base saw Pickett validate their meh program with an ACC championship in 2021, and he can continue to do that by playing well for the Steelers.

Groundwork is being laid for Pickett to move forward.

He’s had a good training camp. The Steelers are doing things they didn’t last year, like using the middle of the field. But will they continue taking risks after a few mistakes are made, or will they dumb down the offense and make Pickett a game manager?

Second-year receiver George Pickens will serve as the barometer for that. If Pickens goes into diva mode, the Steelers aren’t taking enough chances. (Pickett can handle risk.)

But, with fantasy football drafts upon us, where would you select Pickett?

The reality of that answer reveals the uphill battle faced by the Steelers.

In the AFC alone, seven quarterbacks are clearly better: Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Trevor Lawrence. (Burrow and Jackson both play in the AFC North, the Steelers’ division.)

Tua Tagovailoa and Deshaun Watson are likely superior to Pickett. (Watson plays in the AFC North.) What about Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson? (Wilson is probably washed.)

That pecking order leaves the Steelers up against it. It’s a quarterbacks league. Only seven of all those quality quarterbacks will make the playoffs in the AFC.

It’s the time of year for optimism, though, not least when it comes to Pickett.

“I think Kenny is going to have a breakout season,” said ex-Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier. “I think he’s going to have a season like a lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL had in their second season. Like Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson.

“I’m not saying Kenny will win the MVP, hopefully he can.”

Somebody fit Shazier for a black-and-gold straitjacket. Pickett isn’t Burrow, Mahomes or Jackson. Pickett won’t win MVP.

If Shazier really believes Pickett can, he should get a bet down. BetRivers has Pickett at +5000 to win MVP. (Sports books live in the real world.)

Pickett will maximize his talent and do it relatively quickly. His intangibles will drive that.

But what’s his ceiling? Can Pickett lead the Steelers to glory at the expense of quarterbacks who are better than him? How many of them can he leapfrog? Those quarterbacks aren’t all done improving.

The good in those equations isn’t inevitable. It might not even be likely.