Five-time Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy might be Kenny Pickett’s biggest fan.
On Monday’s episode of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, McCoy raved about rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, proclaiming him the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Listen, you know I am 96.7 (percent) of the time right. He gonna be your starting quarterback,” McCoy said. “Not Week 1, not Week 2, Week 6! Week 6, he’s going to carry Pittsburgh. The tradition, Big Ben, he’s leaving it in his hands. I’ll tell you that right now. And you know, I am always right.”
McCoy, a Pittsburgh alum like Pickett, drew some instant criticism from the show’s hosts and guest Chase Claypool, a Steelers receiver who declared himself one of the top pass-catchers in the league on the podcast.
While Claypool jawed at McCoy for his blatant favoritism, he was quick to back up his new quarterback.
“That’s my dog,” Claypool said. “Kenny is about to be the greatest of all time.”
McCoy, who’s 12-year NFL career took him through Philadelphia, Buffalo, Kansas City and Tampa Bay, didn’t stop with the praise for Pickett.
“Kenny Pickett is the truth,” he proclaimed, adding, “If you watched his last year in college, he was going crazy… and he (didn’t) have these players like Alabama and all these other (schools).”
Pickett, of course, threw touchdowns to the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison (who transferred to USC this spring) last seaon with the Panthers, but did not have the same Crimson-caliber offensive line and receiving depth behind Addison.
McCoy added a big comparison for his beloved Pickett: Bengals signal caller Joe Burrow.
“Listen, I’ll say it like this: Joe Burrow, Kenny Pickett. I can’t see the difference,” McCoy said.
Pickett and Burrow share some similarities. They stand at 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4, respectively, and both have some of the smallest hands in the NFL. Pickett is a 24-year-old rookie while Burrow is 25 and headed into Year 3 in the pros. Both were Heisman candidates, with Burrow winning the award in 2019.
Pickett has plenty of catching up to do if he’s going to reach Burrow’s caliber — especially with it looking more and more like he’ll start the season behind at least Mitch Trubisky on the Steelers’ depth chart this season.