LATROBE, Pa. — Practice wasn’t over yet when reports surfaced that Kenny Pickett was taking snaps with the first-team offense during Tuesday’s training camp practice. Pickett, fresh off his successful performance in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener win over Seattle, did indeed take on first-team reps in the Steelers’ penultimate camp practice.
So how did he do it?
Tuesday’s practice ended with a two-minute drill between the Steelers’ starting units. The drill started with the Steelers offense facing a second-and-five from their own 47-yard line with 1:01 on the clock. Pickett led the first-team attack, while Mitch Trubisky, who took part in the rest of the practice, was granted that part of the practice.
Pickett started the drive with quick finishes to Chase Claypool and Najee Harris. He then threw an incomplete attempt on Pat Freiermuth with TJ Watt in charge (Watt unsuccessfully argued that his pressure should have counted as a sack). Pickett bounced back with a deep completion from rookie George Pickens to get the ball inside the 20-yard line with less than 20 seconds left in the drill.
A short completion from Pickett to Pickens set up end zone passes to complete the drill. Both assists fell short; Pickett was unable to hit Pickens – who was double covered in the back of the end zone – before knocking down Claypool when time expired.
Mason Rudolph experienced similar results when it was his turn to perform the exercise. Working with the second team offense, Rudolph moved the offense into the red zone before hitting the wall that was the Steelers secondary.
Pickett also received work on the Steelers’ Drill Seven Shots, a seven-play drill from the three-yard line pitting gaze units against each other. The attack started slowly before consecutive assists from Trubisky tied the score at 2-2. Pickett came in for the fifth game and hit Anthony McFarland for a short score. He then stood tall under pressure before hitting a Connor Heyward dive into the end zone. The offense completed its 5-2 victory when Rudolph hit receiver Tyler Vaughns – the recipient of the game-winning score Saturday night against Seattle – for the score.
The star of the drill was tight end Freiermuth, who during Seven Shots regularly lined up in the slot alongside Diontae Johnson on the near side of the field. An extremely productive player in his rookie season, Friermuth is excited to see what this year’s rookie class will bring to the table once the regular season begins.
“Rookies are great,” Freiermuth said after practice. “We’re fine, we’re all young. There’s a good camaraderie in the team at the moment.”
As for Pickett, the Steelers’ first-round pick continued to show signs of progress in practice Tuesday. Trubisky remains the favorite to be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback, while Pickett continues to work at his own pace while strengthening his rapport with the first-team offense.
Here are some other notable facts about the Latrobe Steelers.
The Rookie vs. the All-Pro
The aforementioned Pickens had several one-on-one matchups against former All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Pickens got the better of his senior teammate first, leading to comments from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.
“Give him the deal, GP!” Tomlin shouted at his young wide.
Fitzpatrick responded right away, batting a return pass intended for Pickens. Tomlin, who coached a slew of young talent in his 16 years as Steelers coach, wasn’t ready for the Pickens vs. Fitzpatrick game to end.
“Fourteen, we’re coming your way!” said Tomlin.
Pickens, whose star rose significantly during camp, responded by catching a short pass after selling the deep lane. The drill seemed to have the desired effect for Tomlin, who certainly heard the hype surrounding the second-round pick.
“Ask George, do you know what I mean?” Tomlin said with a smile when asked about the game. “The show wasn’t for Minkah, it was for George.”
Backup running back Benny Snell practiced Tuesday after missing previous practice time with an injury. Snell looked sharp on Tuesday, making several impressive runs while getting involved in the passing game. The four-year veteran is looking to push the competition further behind him, which includes Jaylen Warren and recently signed Master Teague.
Snell continued to work after practice ended, as he worked more with a pitcher machine.
Harvin’s Big Day
Second-year punter Pressley Harvin III had several booming punts, including one from nearly 70 yards. A 2021 seventh-round pick, Harvin faced several tough times as a rookie, including the loss of his father and grandfather over a two-week period. Surely he hopes to regain the form that saw him win the Ray Guy Award in his final season at Georgia Tech.
Robinson “rocks” McFarland
Seventh-round rookie pick Mark Robinson’s arrow continues to point north. Three days after his strip-sack and fumble recovery set the Steelers’ game-winning score against Seattle, Robinson snuffed out a screen pass in Tuesday’s practice. While simply holding McFarland, Robinson stopped the fast return in its tracks while showing impressive awareness for someone who only started playing linebacker in his senior year of college.
Not everyone is the buddy
The only turnover of the day was submitted by linebacker Buddy Johnson, who like Robinson is looking to move up the ranks. The former Texas A&M star knocked out Rudolph at the end of Tuesday’s practice. Johnson is looking to make a bigger impact this season after appearing in just four games as a rookie.
Johnson makes his presence felt
It was hard not to notice Johnson in practice Tuesday. Although he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary during practice, Johnson was very vocal during the two-hour period. At one point, he playfully challenged Pittsburgh defensive backs to play man defense.
“Look for this comfort!” Johnson yelled at the secondary after the first team’s two-minute drills.
Johnson then started working more after practice. Wearing a sweatshirt despite the heat, Johnson caught a string of balls as he looks to build on last year’s Pro Bowl campaign.
There was one other thing that was noticeable about Johnson’s practice. As noted above, Johnson regularly lined up next to the 6-foot-5 Freiermuth during Seven Shots. The formation appeared to create mismatch issues for the defense, which could be a sign of things to come for opposing defenses when the regular season begins on September 11.
