The Athletic's Ted Nguyen scouts Kenny Pickett

[ForJimmy]

1 hour ago, TheSpecialJuan said:

Why isn't his hat backwards???

[Shocker]

Skittishness in the pocket is a universal trait for most college QBs that must be unlearned.  Pickett is definitely the best QB right now in this draft.  I have studied the crap out of him and the one real thing that bothers me is receivers tend to wait for his passes too much.  That can absolutely be improved upon with better timing and refinement.  I think he has really got chance to hit and be a good franchise QB for many years.  The biggest thing with him is he is willing to work and study his craft.  I love that about him

Edited April 1, 2022 by Shocker

[frankw]

Usually it goes whichever QB the huddle hates the most actually ends up being good so I'll be eager to see what happens.

[TheSpecialJuan]

No one really knows NFL.com graded Justin Herbert at 6.45 and compared his to Carson Wentz

ttps://www.nfl.com/prospects/justin-herbert/32004845-5203-1169-a699-ce41d700202a

They have Kenny Pickett graded at 6.40 and compare him to Andy Dalton 

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/kenny-pickett/32005049-4377-7233-6101-772adaebe15c

[Panthers Rhule]

3 minutes ago, TheSpecialJuan said:

No one really knows NFL.com graded Justin Herbert at 6.45 and compared his to Carson Wentz

ttps://www.nfl.com/prospects/justin-herbert/32004845-5203-1169-a699-ce41d700202a

They have Kenny Pickett graded at 6.40 and compare him to Andy Dalton 

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/kenny-pickett/32005049-4377-7233-6101-772adaebe15c

Good catch. I like what you did there. 

[Ivan The Awesome]

Whole lot of people worried about Pickett. I don't get peoples hate for the kid. 

 

I just don't see any of these QB's being the saviour for Rhule. Which would be a wasted pick imo. If they do get a QB, I rather they get the kid with the highest ceiling. Then again if this brass gets fired, it won't matter because it's not a guarantee the next coach will want him. It's messed up situation. Either way we're fuged. 

[Panthers Rhule]

40 minutes ago, Ivan The Awesome said:

Whole lot of people worried about Pickett. I don't get peoples hate for the kid. 

 

I just don't see any of these QB's being the saviour for Rhule. Which would be a wasted pick imo. If they do get a QB, I rather they get the kid with the highest ceiling. Then again if this brass gets fired, it won't matter because it's not a guarantee the next coach will want him. It's messed up situation. Either way we're fuged. 

Unless it works of course. Highest ceiling is used to elevate players who didn't play as well as someone else. 

[TheSpecialJuan]

There more I watch of Pickett the more I like. Upside to be a Derek Carr type 

That being said we need to attempt to trade down taking any QB at #6 would be a massive reach/mistake 

[mc52beast]

If he wanted to see what constrained pockets in the NFL look like he should watch tape of our 2021 offense.

[rayzor]

After Darnold and Clausen, skittish QBs make me skittish.

[MHS831]

6 hours ago, ForJimmy said:

I really don’t understand the Pickett hate. It’s like Mac Jones all over again… He is a solid prospect IMO. 

If you get realistic and start considering the situation (if Rhule still has control of roster) then there will be a compromise.  Rhule says yes to Fitterer who wants a rookie QB to build around, but Fitterer says yes to Pickett, even if he thinks Willis or Corral are better long-term solutions.

OR they agree to take the T as 6 and trade up for Ridder in early round 2.

[MHS831]

What if McAdoo sees something he thinks he can fix in Ridder---so he has Dumb and Dumber hit the airwaves talking about the top 3 QBs.  Then--we trick em.

[Shocker]

18 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

What if McAdoo sees something he thinks he can fix in Ridder---so he has Dumb and Dumber hit the airwaves talking about the top 3 QBs.  Then--we trick em.

If they identify Ridder as a franchise QB we are in serious trouble.  Sam is better than Ridder by a good margin

Ridder is an athlete that throws like he has cement in his shoes.  The offense was so incredibly scripted around him.  Jared Goff without the arm and no real QB feel to his game

Edited April 2, 2022 by Shocker

[kungfoodude]

7 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

Kenny Pickett is by far the most accurate QB in this class, but he has an unnerving red flag (not his hand size)

The article includes a series of clips and analysis. I recommend taking a look if you can (subscription required). It's a pretty extensive and informative reac.

Excerpts:

(E)nough about hand size. Let’s talk about Pickett’s game. I graded him a lot higher than I thought I would after reviewing his film. Pickett has elite accuracy throwing short and intermediate, his passes zip to his receivers with strong velocity, and he’s twitchy enough to escape from pass rushers and make difficult passes on the run. He doesn’t have elite arm talent but can still throw accurately off-platform.

Pickett was a super senior, who broke out in his fifth year. Like many others, he was eligible for an extra season because of last year’s COVID-19 restrictions. He didn’t throw for more than 13 touchdowns in each of his first four seasons but went nuclear last season, throwing for 42 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He didn’t have blue-chip talent at offensive line or receiver, but he carved up defenses with anticipation and precise ball location, working the dropback game from the pocket. But he’s not just a pocket passer, he’s hard to bring down and is accurate and decisive when he breaks the pocket.

Pickett’s mechanics are very strong. He won’t need much if any adjusting in the NFL. He’s an excellent rotational thrower with a quick release.

...

In this clip that was sent to me (I edited it) by his trainer, Tony Racioppi, Pickett is working on turning at the top of his drop to make a straight balanced throw to his left using the last crossover step to set the angle for his body to align with the throw. The sequencing of his mechanics is perfect and exactly what even veteran quarterbacks continue trying to master.

What I mean by sequencing is how his hips open first while his shoulders remain closed to the target. This creates a rubber band effect that naturally whips the shoulders into the throw, so he’s getting power from his hips rather than compensating with just his arm. Watch as his front foot hits the ground, his front shoulder remains perpendicular to the target. This type of sequencing is very hard to achieve, but Pickett has perfected it and it shows up on his game film. His strong mechanics and footwork are why he’s by far the most accurate quarterback in this class.

...

Pickett loves using the middle of the field. He has a natural feel for anticipating windows opening up and puts the ball in great locations for his receivers and doesn’t put them in danger.

...

Pickett has a twitchy lower body, shows excellent agility in the pocket and can run through arm-tackle attempts. He’s difficult to contain and can hit tight-window throws on the run.

...

Conversely, one of Pickett’s greatest weaknesses is his skittishness in constrained pockets. Although he’s slippery, there are times when he’ll bail out of clean pockets when it’s not necessary. Great quarterbacks know how to make subtle movements to buy more time in the pocket. Pickett wants to escape when the pocket starts to get muddy.

When he has a clean pocket, Pickett does a nice job of moving from progression to progression.

...

Pickett shows some inconsistency with his process. There are times when he doesn’t let deeper routes develop long enough and will move too quickly to his checkdown. Generally, he’s good against the blitz, but there are several instances when he won’t see it coming and takes bad sacks or gets forced into bad decisions.

Although Pickett can be surgical throwing short to intermediate, he’s not as precise when he’s throwing deep. His reads on deep passes aren’t as clean and his placement overall is average to below average.

...

Pickett benefited from playing in a system that was expertly tailored to his strengths by offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. Whipple called a lot of concepts that attacked the middle of the field like “shallow cross” and rolled Pickett outside of the pocket when he expected pressure. Pickett’s ability to anticipate and his accuracy will translate to the next level, but you want to see more consistency with his process as a super senior. Fumbles are a concern as well — he had 38 career fumbles (lost 26), which is why his hand size might actually matter. Though he did wear gloves, he did not appear to lose grip on passes.

Teams could easily fall in love with his accuracy and escapability, but his skittishness when the pocket gets compressed is a legitimate red flag because pockets are smaller in the pros. Overall, I believe Pickett can be very good, but he’s not scheme-versatile. He has to be in a system that emphasizes quick passes in the middle of the field with West Coast roots like the 49ers, Saints or Steelers.

...

Note: We're also one of those teams.

Replace Pickett with Bridgewater and read the article.