Allen Robinson has gone through the gauntlet as it relates to quarterbacks throughout his NFL career. Despite having a Pro Bowl nod and multiple thousand-yard receiving seasons under his belt, the veteran wideout hasn't been matched with a prolific quarterback. He primarily had Blake Bortles in Jacksonville, an array of different signal-callers in Chicago, and was only alongside Matthew Stafford in L.A. for nine games last season. So, it's not hyperbole to say that Kenny Pickett could prove to be the best quarterback the veteran has ever played with.
The former first-round quarterback is entering his second season in the NFL and has an intriguing collection of wide receivers at his disposal including Robinson, who was acquired this offseason in a deal with the Rams. Already, Pickett put together a solid rookie season that is giving Pittsburgh hope entering 2023 and, by how Robinson sees it, the young QB has all the makings of a franchise signal-caller.
"I was impressed when I got here," Robinson said of his new quarterback, via NFL.com. "Watching somebody from the outside looking in, you definitely see the talent. Once you actually get in the facility and are able to be around Kenny, you see why he is successful.
"I am a person who watches a lot of football, and I was able to watch Kenny in college in some of those big games. When you have a guy like that who has a knack for winning, a knack for being the kind of player he has been, which is leading all of the groups he has been a part of. I don't think that goes anywhere once a guy gets to the NFL. Once you put other guys around him, you start to see that player evolve into even more of a guy."
Specifically, it's been the 24-year-old's leadership that has caught Robinson's eye.
"Leaders are born," he said. "It doesn't take a lot of time for a guy who is a natural leader. I think anybody here can tell that from Kenny. I have been here a little over a month and you can already tell his leadership, how he leads the charge day in and day out. For a second-year guy, that isn't easy. For a guy to be able to take a bull by the horns like that, it's pretty impressive."
The AFC North is littered with star quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Deshaun Watson, so there is pressure on Pickett to make a big enough leap in Year 2 where Pittsburgh can contend in the division and push for the postseason.
