Last season, after Ben Roethlisberger oficially announced his retirement, the Pittsburgh Steelers immediately started the search of a new franchise quarterback. It's never easy to replace a player like Big Ben who took the team to three Super Bowls winning two Lombardi trophies.
Ben Roethlisberger was selected with the No.11 pick overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. That first round is one of the best in history at the position with quarterbacks taken like Eli Manning (Giants) or Philip Rivers (Chargers). Big Ben ended with numbers that will put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: 64 088 passing yards, 418 touchdowns and 165 career wins.
So, when Ben Roethlisberger said goodbye, the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin took a chance on Kenny Pickett. Pittsburgh, once again, went all-in and selected a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, many people didn't believe he was the right choice for the franchise, including Big Ben. Now, Roethlisberger has made an incredible prediction about Pickett's future.
Ben Roethlisberger makes a bold prediction about Kenny Pickett's future
Ben Roethlisberger talked about Kenny Pickett in his podcast Footbahlin and, in an amazing turn of events, Big Ben admitted that he might have been wrong about the rookie. After extraordinary clutch performances in wins against the Raiders and the Ravens, Roethlisberger sees somehting very special in the quarterback from the University of Pittsburgh.
"I wasn't sure what to expect with Kenny. I know he played great at Pitt and did a lot of great things. Coming in I just wasn't sure what to think. I didn't know enough. I severely in my opinion underestimated Kenny. I think he throws the ball better than I thought. He runs way better than I thought. His decision making is really good. His leadership and his toughness. So, you know, I apologize."
Furthermore, Ben Roethlisberger gave some advice to the rookie. "Kenny, keep doing what you're doing, because you are leading this team and becoming the guy at everyone was hoping you would be. The sky is the limit for him. We gotta see what Year 2 and Year 3 look like. That would be the key to really take the next step. He is all that and even more than I thought he was gonna be."
