Kenny Pickett found a second home in Pittsburgh and, if he has a say in the matter, would love to stick around.
The University of Pittsburgh standout told reporters during the opening day of Senior Bowl week that he's aware of the possibility of staying in the Steel City with the Pittsburgh Steelers needing a long-term replacement for recently retired quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
"The possibility of getting drafted there would be unbelievable," Pickett said via SI.com. "Pittsburgh is really my second home, so that would kind of be a dream. It started when I got recruited to Pitt and maybe at the next level. We’ll see what happens."
The New Jersey native said he developed relationships with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Mike Tomlin during his high school and collegiate careers, which culminated with a stellar redshirt senior campaign that included winning the ACC Player of the Year award and finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
"[Coach Tomlin] is a great guy," Pickett said via SI.com. "I’m obviously very familiar with Coach Canada, as well. He recruited me to Pitt. So I have a great relationship with them."
Pickett opted to forego the Chick-fIl-A Peach Bowl in December in order to prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft.
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah projects Pickett to be the first quarterback selected in his latest mock draft, but falling to the Denver Broncos at No. 9 overall, 11 picks ahead of the Steelers' No. 20 overall spot.