ALTOONA, Pa. -- Kenny Pickett's fantastic season has garnered him a great deal of praise plus Heisman talk, and now he's the best NFL quarterback prospect in the country, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.
In his latest Big Board released Tuesday, Kiper elevated Pickett to the No. 1 quarterback position and No. 15 overall prospect for next year's NFL draft.
This is a meteoric rise for Pickett, who was not even listed among Kiper's top 10 quarterback prospects in his previous Big Board from two months ago.
Pickett is, of course, having a monster season for the Panthers. He has thrown for 2,236 yards with 23 TDs and one interception while completing 68.9 percent.
Pickett also is now No. 4 in the latest Heisman odds at Bet MGM, at +1000. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is tops in odds at +185, followed by Ole Miss QB Matt Corral at +250 and Ohio State QB CJ Stroud at +500.
Here is what Kiper wrote about Pickett in his latest update:
Pickett is making a leap not unlike Joe Burrow's from two seasons ago. After his impressive performance against Clemson, I'm ready to put him on my Big Board. The fifth-year senior has been tremendous this season, completing 68.9% of his passes with 23 touchdowns and just one interception. He ranks third in the country in QBR (88.1). He has 18 career rushing touchdowns. Pickett was up and down the past two seasons, throwing 18 picks and averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. He's up to 9.2 this season. He is accurate to all three levels of the field, has shown patience in taking the checkdown throws when necessary and has good zip on his throws. Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has done a great job with Pickett's development.
Now, he has started 43 games in his Pitt career, so NFL teams will like that he has experience. (The last first-rounder with that many starts was Baker Mayfield with 46.) But Pickett does have some bad tape on his résumé, so scouts and execs are going to have to be comfortable with his improvement and believe that he's a different quarterback. The signs are there, and his ability to use his legs to maneuver the pocket and scramble when he has to is underrated. I really like Pickett's 2021 tape. In a quarterback class that is far from settled, he's my new No. 1 guy.
This is Kiper's list of the top 10 QB prospects:
- 1. Kenny Pickett, Pitt
- 2. Matt Corral, Ole Miss
- 3. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
- 4. Malik Willis, Liberty
- 5. Sam Howell, North Carolina
- 6. Phil Jurkovec, Boston College
- 7. Carson Strong, Nevada
- 8. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
- 9. Tanner McKee, Stanford
- 10. Jayden Daniels, Arizona State
Kiper went on to mention that Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler, who was rated No. 1 two months ago, is not in the top 10 any longer because he's not even playing. Rattler lost his job to freshman Caleb Williams.
