There is no doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers found a “diamond in the rough” type of player in this past year's draft. After selecting quarterback Kenny Pickett with their first-round pick, the organization decided to pair the young gunslinger with fellow rookie George Pickens as they selected the wide receiver with their 52nd pick in the second round.
The receiver out of The University of Georgia gained NFL interest due to his playmaking ability, paired with his ability to catch the football no matter where it is thrown. I know it may seem a little much to be labeling a second-round draft selection as a “diamond in the rough'' but if it wasn't for suffering a torn ACL in March of the previous year, Pickens was a surefire first-round selection.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens (14) celebrates a touchdown with teammates in a loss vs The Miami Dolphins / Photo Credit: Abigail Dean / Steelers.com/
As did Pickett, when Pickens' name was called, he did more than just impress. He was seemingly a human highlight reel whenever a ball came his way. There are a handful of games in which members of SteelerNation can pinpoint a key place in the game in which Pickens made a significant play.
Although the rookie’s overall production didn't gain much ground until the middle of the season, he caught 52 receptions for 801 yards equalling 15.4-yard average per catch while scoring four touchdowns. Pickens lead the Steelers with those 15.4 yards per catch while finishing second in yards and third in total catches.
The Steelers organization must have seen enough in the young rookie through the first two months of the football season, enough for General Manager Omar Khan to make a move trading away third-year receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears. This move in itself made a statement, meaning Pickens will now be lined up opposite fellow receiver Diontae Johnson for the foreseeable future.
This move enabled Pickens to gain more valuable NFL experience, begin to create a good on-field relationship with Pickett and allow him to make up for the year he had missed back in 2021. I think it is fair to say that Pickens' play impressed most.
"He's a great receiver," said Pickett. "We talk all the time about how he's evolving into a complete receiver and doing more things and running different routes and having a full route tree that corners have to deal with. You become a lot tougher to cover when you have all different ways that you can go and you're not just a deep ball threat, which he's not. He does a lot of great of things for us at the intermediate level. I think as his game continues to grow, we'll continue to grow as an offense."
I think what stuck out the most to all of SteelerNation was just how good Pickens is at attacking the ball at its highest point. The rookie receiver showcased his ability to make the circus catches whenever the ball is thrown into his radius, doing everything he can to make sure his quarterback (Pickett) has 100 percent confidence in throwing the ball to him, even if covered. Normally, a quarterback can be a bit hesitant throwing the ball to his receiver when covered, but when a receiver has the playmaking ability that Pickens possesses, he makes it hard to NOT throw the ball in his direction.
Photo Credit: Karl Roser / Pittsburgh / George Pickens (14) Celebrates Two Point Conversion in a 24-17 victory against The Indianapolis Colts
"He's the best athlete probably that I've played with," Pickett said during the regular season. "Just the freak things that he does, the catches he makes that are so nonchalant to him, but I kind of look around like, 'I've never seen that before in my life.' He's a unique guy that can do a lot of great things. We've just got to continue to get him the football."
The exciting part is that the Steelers have both Pickens and Pickett on rookie contracts, meaning they have them locked up for the next three years at least. It's been broadcasted that the organization views Kenny Pickett as this team's future under center and it has given the Steelers an immense amount of confidence that Pickens will be one of his most reliable targets for years to come.
What did you think of George Pickens' rookie season? Did it leave all of SteelerNation excited for what's to come?
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