Welcome to the pre-draft season! Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft starting on April 28th, we will be releasing draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…
George Pickens (Wide Receiver), University of Georgia, Junior
OVERVIEW
As we continue our way through free agency, it is becoming more and more evident that the Steelers may use one of their earlier selections on a wide receiver. Not only that, but with the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ray-Ray McCloud, and James Washington, I wouldn’t be surprised if they selected a couple of different prospects with different skillsets. But as we followed Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert around the different college Pro Days this past week, there was one outside-receiver Tomlin was watching like a proud father; that being George Pickens out of Georgia.
PROS
Pickens is best when lined up outside and that is most likely how he’ll be drafted and utilized. Pickens is commonly compared to AJ Green, not only because they’re both Georgia products, but their play styles are very similar. Pickens has long arms, strong hands and is able to win 50/50 balls. Because he has such long arms, Pickens has a massive catch radius and can help make a quarterback’s life a bit easier. He is able to make contested catches and pull in passes in a crowd. Pickens has great body control and has shown he can make tough sideline catches or in the back of the endzone. He has a great nose for the endzone and looks to score any time he gets the ball in his hands. He is an effective blocker on the outside and isn’t afraid to get physical with defenders on run plays. Finally, although he is an average route-runner, Pickens is great at creating separation at the top of his routes to give him an opportunity to make a play on the ball.
CONS
Though he showed he is fully healed, Pickens’ health history may cause concern with NFL scouts. Pickens tore his ACL in spring of 2021 and missed playing time as a result. In the games he played in 2021, he showed to have lost some burst off the line and had trouble in press coverage. From watching his film, Pickens tends to lose his explosiveness as the game progresses and has shown signs of fatigue in late-game scenarios. As I mentioned above, Pickens will need to tighten up his route-running abilities. He was able to get away with it in college, but he’ll have difficulty getting off the line, running a sharp route, and getting separation against NFL cornerbacks.
DRAFT PROJECTION: 2nd Round
With other bigger names towards the top of team’s draft boards, Pickens will need to wait until the second day to hear his name called. Depending on how teams view is injury history, this may play into where exactly he’ll fall in the second round. But with that said, Pickens had a great Pro Day and seemed to put any injury-related concerns at ease. I see him as a solid 2nd round pick.
VERDICT
Tomlin looked to like what he saw in Pickens at the Georgia Pro Day, and I don’t blame him. Pickens ran smooth routes, showed he can catch the ball in stride, and proved he could be a day-one starter. Not to mention, the Steelers are one of the best at drafting wide receivers, so if they are high on a prospect, we should be too. But here is where things get interesting; with Pickens being an outside receiver and most likely lined up as the X receiver, this doesn’t really align with what the Steelers need in the earlier rounds. Unless they plan on moving either Diontae Johnson or Chase Claypool to the slot, the Steelers don’t necessarily need an outside receiver as much as they need more of a true slot receiver, such as a Smith-Schuster/McCloud replacement inside. I’m not saying Pickens isn’t a great receiver, but if I’m the Steelers at either 20th or 52nd overall, I’d be looking at someone who can also line up inside.
Where do you see Pickens going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments below!
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