Can A George Pickens Year 2 Leap Push Him Into Being A Top 10 NFL Receiver?

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season was one of ups and downs and finding an identity. A change of the guard at quarterback and a slew of young players truly finding their roles in this team led to a rocky start and a hot finish. George Pickens had a lot to do with that hot finish. 

Pickens, the Steelers second round pick out of Georgia in 2022, had a slow start, but once fellow rookie, Kenny Pickett took over the reins, there was no looking back. Pickens began to gain momentum and chemistry with Pickett and flashed his big play ability constantly. Picking balls out of the air left and right, as well as making timely catches on top of it.

Pickett often said he feels 50-50 balls are more like 70-30 with Pickens. That speaks to the amount of confidence Pickett has in his budding receiver and the chemistry the two are beginning to build.

Pickens led all rookies this season in contested catches with 19:

This is also the most ever by a rookie:

Pickens was third overall in contested catches, only behind Justin Jefferson and DK Metcalf.

This backs up what Pickett reiterated about Pickens, and it is hard not to think the duo should only continue to get better as they work together this off-season and for the foreseeable future. However, in a league fueled by high flying passing attacks, the question remains: how good can Pickens be?

Can Steelers' Pickens Be A Top 10 Receiver?

The answer I believe is yes. Winning 50-50 balls at a high rate is something the elite guys must do consistently. Look at the two receivers ahead of Pickens in Metcalf and Jefferson. They are most definitely in that elite conversation, with Jefferson often being regarded as potentially the best in the league.

Pickett also has elite physical traits. At 6’3”, 200 lbs and 4.4 speed, this guy has all the tools to be great.

Now, let’s get to the improvements. As great as Pickens is in the aforementioned areas, he definitely has some work that still needs to be done. 

The main and glaring issue is his separation. As great as his contested catches are, you would like to see him be more open. This isn’t to say he never separated, but he did not do it nearly as prolifically as he did making contested catches. If he improves in this area, it’s hard to believe he’s not immediately an elite receiving prospect in the league.

Another thing that Pickens needs to improve on is his yards after the catch. He only averaged 2.1 YAC per PFF, good for 99th in the league. This is something that is not entirely on Pickens, as no one in Matt Canada’s offense this season really excelled in this area. Diontae Johnson only averaged 2.8 YAC, after averaging 5.0 YAC and never under 4.6 for his career. Pat Freiermuth averaged 4.6, the highest on the team with at least 30 targets. 

The last big thing that needs to improve is out of Pickens' control. That’s the improvement of Kenny Pickett. Although the rookie signal-caller came on strong at the end of the year, he needs to put it altogether this off-season and build off his rookie campaign and get better heading into next season. The two as stated before already had a stellar connection. Here’s a look at the numbers for Pickett when targeting Pickens:

Pickett also had a 97.6 QBR when targeting Pickens:

If all of these ingredients come together, there’s no reason Pickens can’t be among the elite of the elite as soon as next year. If this happens and the team can continue to build and capitalize on having Pickett on a rookie contract, this team very well may be on the brink of contention in the coming seasons. Only time will tell.

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