The Pittsburgh Steelers front office has shown quite the area of expertise over the last decade when it comes to landing budding superstars in the NFL Draft, especially at wide receiver. This year may be no different as the Steelers double dipped at the position by selecting former Georgia standout George Pickens in the second round and Calvin Austin III in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Both have shown flashes thus far during training camp and there's a lot of potential among the two. Pickens has the attention of just about anyone covering the Steelers or the NFL in general!
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In a recent NFL Network segment, Pickens was not only compared to a former All-Pro wide receiver the Steelers are quite familiar with, it was stated he could be better than said receiver! At the end of the segment, NFL analyst, Daniel Jeremiah wanted to make one last point to close out the portion of the Steelers' discussion.
"George Pickens, remember the name George Pickens," Jeremiah said very matter-of-factly in the segment. "I'm telling you guys, this dude is as talented as any young receiver we've seen come in. I know the production wasn't there, he'd been injured, but when I have people at Georgia who have been around that program forever say, 'This kid's going to be better than A.J. Green,' my ears perk up a little bit. And from everything that I've heard early on in camp, he's somebody you better pay attention to!"
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Could George Pickens be the most underrated pick in the draft? 👀 @steelers
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Wow! Those are highly complimentary words out of of someone from the University of Georgia. Green made the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2011 after snagging 65 receptions for 1,057 yards and 7 touchdowns. Green has gone on to capture 1,000 plus yards receiving a total of six times in his career all with his former team and the Steelers' AFC North rival, the Cincinnati Bengals, including his rookie campaign in 2011. He's been a member of the NFL All-Pro Team twice and has been selected to represent the AFC in seven Pro Bowls. He became the the first wide out in NFL history to begin his career with seven straight Pro Bowl selections.
Alexandra Wimley / Post-Gazette
Jeremiah isn't the only person singing the praises of Pickens early on, his teammates have seen the potential during training camp as well!
“I think he’s going to be the best rookie receiver in the NFL," the Steelers WR stated in a session with the media last week via Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski.
The bar is set mightily high for the Steelers' rookie wide out, however, he is looking the part thus far in training camp. The team's wide receivers coach, Frisman Jackson has been impressed with Pickens' showing as well!
“He has impressive body control,” stated Jackson on Pickens in the Steelers.com article. “You rarely see a guy his size be able to sink his hips coming out of the breaks and be able to push and get out of breaks. It ’s been really impressive to see. For him it’s just going to be the little, small detail things that we continue to hone in on.”
With his rare size-body control skill set, we could surely see Pickens explode onto the scene, no matter who is throwing him the football in 2022!
What do yinz think about Pickens' flashing superstar potential in training camp and people saying he can be better than former Steelers' rival, A.J. Green? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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