'You ready to come back to Oakland?' Steelers inform Kenny Pickett of draft plans
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - By now you know the news - Kenny Pickett will be staying in Pittsburgh, trading the blue and gold for the black and gold.
The Panthers quarterback was drafted 20th overall by the Steelers on Thursday night.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin, on his way to make the call to Pickett, summed up the feelings of a lot of Steeler Nation: "Let's go, baby...that's awesome."
The call that made @kennypickett10 a Pittsburgh Steeler pic.twitter.com/vfFEgf8qF7
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 29, 2022
"Y'all watching TV, what y'all got going on? You ready to come back to Oakland?" Tomlin asked Pickett over the phone from the Steelers headquarters on the South Side. "We're about to make you a Pittsburgh Steeler, brother, congratulations."
Now, it won't be long for the Heisman Trophy finalist to be back in Pittsburgh.
"It's a dream come true." @kennypickett10 pic.twitter.com/G9CqChGItQ
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 29, 2022
"I'm chasing my dreams and we're going to win a Super Bowl soon," Pickett said in a video on the Steelers' Twitter account.
By the time the Steelers were on the clock, the team in transition with the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger had their pick of quarterbacks as Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis both remained undrafted.
Ultimately, the Steelers went with the quarterback who has spent the past five seasons sharing a practice facility with them on the South Side.
"Honestly, never thought he would make it to us at 20," said retiring General Manager Kevin Colbert. "Exciting times for us, for Kenny, for the University of Pittsburgh, and for Pittsburgh, in general."
Pickett will come into training camp with some competition as the team signed Mitchell Trubisky and still have Mason Rudolph on the roster, both of whom have started games in the NFL.