The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted wide receiver George Pickens in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickens, who played for the University of Georgia, slipped down the draft board due primarily to an injury. Based on his rookie year, the Steelers may have gotten the steal of the draft.
Credit: George Pickens' Twitter page
George Pickens went viral with this photo of him watching himself get drafted.
Pickens was an immediate impact player at Georgia. He was leading the team in touchdowns in 2020 prior to Covid cutting the season short. In 2021, he tore his ACL and missed most of his junior season. He could have easily sat out of the rest of the season, he already knew he was going to the NFL, but he didn't. He returned to play, including in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
Pittsburgh immediately embraced the quirky and passionate Pickens and the similarity of his last name and quarterback Kenny Pickett's only made it better, "Pickett to Pickens" t-shirts flew off the shelves.
Then 2022 was a strange season, and not an easy one for a rookie. The Steelers were turning over the offense from future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and had brought in veteran Mitch Trubisky and drafted the aforementioned Pickett. Pickens vocalized some frustrations during the year about his lack of catches, including a particularly notable outburst during the game in Atlanta.
Despite feeling he wasn't getting the ball enough and the quarterback changes, Pickens performed well. He has become revered for his freakish athletic abilities and his amazing one-handed catches. During Week 4 against the New York Jets, Pickens extended his body fully and managed an amazing catch, the internet went wild, and was called the "catch of the year."
Pickens finished 2022 with 52 receptions for 801 yards and a team-high four touchdowns.
But Did The Steelers Hold Pickens Back?
Recently on his podcast, former Steelers offensive guard, Ramon Foster and his co-host Dejan Kovacevic, discussed the Steelers' wide receivers room and some of their struggles from 2022. Foster's podcast, The Ramon Foster Show, airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Credit: Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Former Steelers OG Ramon Foster now hosts a podcast on DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Foster and Kovacevic were asked by a listener which wide receiver will have more catches in 2023 - Pickens or Diontae Johnson? Foster says he doesn't think it will be that simple.
"George Pickens is gonna create an environment that says you better either go 50/50 with me or give me 60/40 when it comes to getting the ball in my hand. That guy is a playmaker and I'll be honest with you, Diontae does have to go show improved. The young guy is chomping at the bit right now. Like really leveling out who's one, two and three on this list. The play will suggest this. If they go to George and George catches the ball every single time, guess what? 'I (Kenny Pickett) only got one more year left with you Diontae, imma go butter the bread of the dude I can grow up with. And that guy's name is George Pickens.'"
Kovacevic agrees and says that a big part of the burden falls on the coaches. He blames Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada as well as Head Coach Mike Tomlin for not getting the best out of Pickens.
"I have one priority as a coaching staff and this does not just lay on Matt Canada, this goes up to Mike Tomlin. I want to find out everything that I can find out about George Pickens as soon as I can. Real fast okay? If you saw Warren Sharp who does the NFL breakdowns and is really good at it, he had a list of guys who just ran go routes. Then he counted up the go routes, meaning you just draw a straight line and a little arrow on the top of it."
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens will be tasked to produce as the big dogs in the offense next year.
"Pickens had like 50 more than any other NFL wide receiver. It was just a farce and all that means is that Canada lacked the imagination to get him involved in the offense and just said you know what you can run fast, go very, very far and get out of my way and take a DB with you, ideally take a couple with you. But that's all he had. That's all Canada had to offer to that equation. I want to see an emphasis and again from the head coach, let's find out what he can and what he can't do. Okay? Maybe there are things Pickens can't do but let's find out."
Foster agrees and says Tomlin is the kind of coach that wants to build off of the things that his players do well rather than try to fit them into a mold.
"Volume is what a guy like him needs and imagination, that's true, you can't send him out on dummy missions. I think he can run all the routes, it's a matter of what you said earlier DK, Pickens was told to do what as a young guy? Run the safety off because you know he's that big of a threat. He is going to force the coordinator's hands and I'm okay with that."
What do you think about what Foster and Kovacevic said? Do you think Pickens was used incorrectly? Who do you think wins the battle for catches this season - Johnson or Pickens? Tell us what you think, comment below.
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