USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Leaf Welcomes Kenny Pickett to Exclusive QB Club

Originally posted on FanNation All Steelers
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated 11/15/22

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping, and pretty certain, Kenny Pickett isn't headed down the same path as Ryan Leaf. That being said, the current black and gold quarterback was welcomed into an "exclusive" rookie club by the former San Diego Chargers first-pick bust.

Through six games this season, Pickett has thrown 195 passes and just two touchdowns. Currently, only 1% of his attempts have found the endzone, leaving him sitting with Leaf and former Notre Dame star Jimmy Clausen as the only rookie QBs to have a touchdown percentage of 1% or fewer through their first 190 passes.

And so, Leaf welcomed him to the club.

Leaf was the sole pick ahead of Peyton Manning and has become the face of NFL draft busts. He finished his rookie season in 1998 with a 39 QBR.

Clausen was the Carolina Panthers' second-round pick in 2010 who started 10 games a rookie. He did throw three touchdowns that season on 299 attempts.

Pickett seems to be progressing a little better than his clubmates. While the passing is still a work in progress, he finished his first full game without a turnover in Week 10 and has three rushing touchdowns to add to his total.

A slow progression for sure, but it doesn't seem to be headed in the direction of either Leaf or Clausen at this point.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Steelers and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: