Kenny Pickett in the NFL
In the NFL. Photo: TigerNet.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Quarterback, Pittsburgh, 2017–⁠21

Kenny Pickett

Number
No. 8
Height
6′3″
Weight
220 lb
Class (2021)
Senior
Hometown
Oakhurst, NJ
Born
Jun 6, 1998, in Oakhurst, New Jersey

Wikipedia readers: about 28,061 a month over the past year

Kenny Pickett played quarterback at Pittsburgh (2017–⁠21). He won the 2021 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He finished third in the 2021 Heisman vote. The Pittsburgh Steelers took Pickett in the first round, No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
4,319
Passing yards, 2021 (Pittsburgh, 11–⁠3)
Best game
519 yards
Vs. Miami, week 9, 2021: No. 1 passing game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 4
In FBS in passing touchdowns, 2021
Drafted
No. 20
Overall, 2022 NFL Draft (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Career highs

519passing yards, career highvs. Miami, 20216touchdown passes, career highvs. Western Michigan, 20212rushing touchdowns, career highthree times; last vs. NC State, 2020

Honors

Team titles: ACC champions, 2021

All-America: AFCA 2021; Walter Camp 2021

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Passing

Passing yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDInt
2017Pittsburgh396659.15097.711
2018Pittsburgh18030958.31,9696.4126
2019Pittsburgh28946961.63,0986.6139
2020Pittsburgh20433361.32,4087.2139
2021Pittsburgh33449767.24,3198.7427
Career1,0461,67462.512,3037.38132

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2017Pittsburgh26933.6222
2018Pittsburgh1172211.9330
2019Pittsburgh951101.2230
2020Pittsburgh811622.0818
2021Pittsburgh972412.5558
Career4168272.02058

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2017Pittsburgh8QBYr 1
2018Pittsburgh8QBYr 2
2019Pittsburgh8QBYr 3
2020Pittsburgh8QBYr 4
2021Pittsburgh8QBSr. (Yr 5)6′3″220

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. passAdj. rush
2017Pittsburgh920.31––28.233%0.31–
2018Pittsburgh4260.1011th (n=160)0.2641.847%0.180.08
2019Pittsburgh5610.1521st (n=155)0.2783.763%0.17-0.05
2020Pittsburgh4120.2852nd (n=116)0.27114.260%0.290.09
2021Pittsburgh5570.4588th (n=145)0.33252.058%0.460.34

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2021 Pittsburgh 13 games, 4,319 passing yards, 42 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 4vs.MassachusettsW 51–⁠727372722039
Sep 11atTennesseeW 41–⁠3424362852019
Sep 18vs.Western MichiganL 41–⁠4423313826157
Sep 25vs.New HampshireW 77–⁠72428403506
Oct 2atGeorgia TechW 52–⁠2123363894021
Oct 16atVirginia TechW 28–⁠722372032038
Oct 23vs.ClemsonW 27–⁠1725393022015
Oct 30vs.MiamiL 34–⁠38395551932−10
Nov 6atDukeW 54–⁠2928434163057
Nov 11vs.North CarolinaW 30–⁠23254334631−11
Nov 20vs.VirginiaW 48–⁠38264134042−14
Nov 27atSyracuseW 31–⁠142838209414
Dec 4vs.Wake ForestW 45–⁠2120332532020
2020 Pittsburgh 9 games, 2,408 passing yards, 13 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 12vs.Austin PeayW 55–⁠014202771023
Sep 19vs.SyracuseW 21–⁠10253621521−8
Sep 26vs.LouisvilleW 23–⁠2023382202128
Oct 3vs.NC StateL 29–⁠3022394111040
Oct 10atBoston CollegeL 30–⁠3125482662136
Nov 7atFlorida StateW 41–⁠1721272100013
Nov 21vs.Virginia TechW 47–⁠1435524042115
Nov 28atClemsonL 17–⁠52223920924−14
Dec 10atGeorgia TechW 34–⁠2017341961129
2019 Pittsburgh 12 games, 3,098 passing yards, 13 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 31vs.VirginiaL 14–⁠3021411851216
Sep 7vs.OhioW 20–⁠10263732110−1
Sep 14atPenn StateL 10–⁠173551372007
Sep 21vs.UCFW 35–⁠3425472241061
Oct 5atDukeW 33–⁠30294826832−17
Oct 18atSyracuseW 27–⁠20183323220−6
Oct 26vs.MiamiL 12–⁠1618321460221
Nov 2atGeorgia TechW 20–⁠102534204128
Nov 14vs.North CarolinaW 34–⁠2725413591053
Nov 23atVirginia TechL 0–⁠28102610300−12
Nov 30vs.Boston CollegeL 19–⁠26304032301−25
Dec 26 ✦vs.Eastern MichiganW 34–⁠302739361305
2018 Pittsburgh 14 games, 1,969 passing yards, 12 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 1vs.UAlbanyW 33–⁠716221542142
Sep 8vs.Penn StateL 6–⁠51918550130
Sep 15vs.Georgia TechW 24–⁠191623197018
Sep 22atNorth CarolinaL 35–⁠3819331742037
Sep 29atUCFL 14–⁠45162616311−6
Oct 6vs.SyracuseW 44–⁠37112013711−29
Oct 13atNotre DameL 14–⁠19192812600−6
Oct 27vs.DukeW 54–⁠458181502076
Nov 2atVirginiaW 23–⁠1371461004
Nov 10vs.Virginia TechW 52–⁠227111621058
Nov 17atWake ForestW 34–⁠132330316306
Nov 24atMiamiL 3–⁠24142213000−34
Dec 1vs.ClemsonL 10–⁠4241680110
Dec 31 ✦vs.StanfordL 13–⁠1411281360025
2017 Pittsburgh 4 games, 509 passing yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Oct 7atSyracuseL 24–⁠27111300–
Oct 14vs.NC StateL 17–⁠35513610018
Nov 18atVirginia TechL 14–⁠2015232420115
Nov 24vs.MiamiW 24–⁠1418291931060

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

Played in the 2022 Senior Bowl (National team, won 20–⁠10).

DrillCombine 2022
Height6′3¼″
Weight217 lb
Arm length30⅞″
Hand size8½″
Wingspan73¾″W
40-yard dash4.73 s
10-yard split1.59 sW
Vertical jump33½″
Broad jump10′1″
20-yard shuttle4.29 s

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

5 seasons, 38 games with a stat; latest team: Carolina Panthers.

SeasonTeamGCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
2022Pittsburgh Steelers132453892,40479237
2023Pittsburgh Steelers122013242,0706454
2024Philadelphia Eagles525422912115
2025Las Vegas Raiders628451881222
2026 (so far)Carolina Panthers20100020
NFL career384998014,9531616348

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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