Kenneth Shane Pickett is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh, where he won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as a senior, and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Various journalists scrutinized Pickett prior to the draft for the size of his hands, measured at 8½ inches, believing it could make him more prone to fumbling the ball.
He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (20th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, the latest a quarterback was first taken in a draft since 1997, and the highest the Steelers selected a quarterback since drafting the then-recently retired Ben Roethlisberger in 2004; the selection was announced by Steelers legend Franco Harris in one of his last public appearances with the team before his unexpected death on December 20, 2022.
With the starting quarterback position wide open following Roethlisberger's retirement, on September 6, 2022, Pickett was named the backup quarterback for the Steelers behind starter Mitchell Trubisky.
