Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson went from catching passes from a future Hall of Famer in Ben Roethlisberger to a rookie in Kenny Pickett last season. And while Johnson immediately noticed a difference between Roethlisberger's arm and Pickett's, there was one similarity he noticed between the two quarterbacks. Johnson said that Pickett has the same “heart” as Roethlisberger, and that the 2022 first round pick is going to “work his a** off to be the best at it”, per Bo Marchiante of College2Pro.com.

“Then there is the experience but at the same time he (Pickett) is just as smart. So, the arm might be like Ben, but he (Pickett) got the heart. He’s a good football player. He’s never going to give up. He is always going to try to be the best at throwing or reading. Whatever it is he will work his a** off to be the best at it.”

Clearly, Pickett has impressed Johnson- and likely other Steelers players- with his dedication to improving and his work ethic to match that desire.

Pickett, who was born in New Jersey and attended the University of Pittsburgh, had the unenviable task of following a legend- and the best QB in Steelers history depending on who you ask.

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And there were some growing pains, as Pickett threw for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 starts.

The Steelers went 7-5 in those starts, but there were some frustrations, notably from Johnson, about the lack of targets coming from Pickett's arm.

But Johnson seems to be seeing an improvement from Pickett heading into 2023- which should only make he- and the Steelers- better.