Steelers' Elite Wide Receiver George Pickens Noted That He Felt "Snubbed" Of 2023 Pro Bowl

After the Pittsburgh Steelers lost wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster during the 2022 NFL free agency period, Steelers fans were panicking about who his replacement would be. Then, during the 2022 NFL Draft, they would select an injured George Pickens in the second round. Due to an ACL injury he suffered at Georgia, we weren't too sure what he would be capable of. Pickens would do more than enough to catch the eyes of fans as he was making insane one-handed catches and slowly looked like he was becoming the number one receiver on the team.

Number One Receiver For The Steelers

With 801 receiving yards and four touchdowns, the debate has been about who is going to be this year's number-one receiver for the Steelers. Pickens' biggest competition is Diontae Johnson who recorded 882 yards, but he would not score a single touchdown. With Johnson getting more targets during games in 2022, could we see Pickens make the push this year to be the guy with more targets?

Although the ultimate goal for the Steelers is going to the Super Bowl, every player has their individual goals as well. As much as fans would have loved to watch Pickens get more targets last year, Pickens' main goal is not becoming the number one target for the Steelers, but rather becoming a Pro Bowl receiver. During an interview with Bo Marchionte of College2Pro.com, Pickens would make it very clear that his intentions for the 2023 season are to make it to the Pro Bowl. He also makes notes that he feels that he was snubbed from the game in the 2022 season.

"Year two goals are Pro Bowl and I feel like last year I feel like I got snubbed. 'Cause there wasn’t a lot of guys in there at the Pro Bowl that excited me. Then the Super Bowl. The two bowls. A lot of RAC, run after catch. Two bowls for sure."

Although the NFL has replaced the actual Pro Bowl with the Pro Bowl Games Flag Football game, it is still something that means a ton to the players to be a part of. So, this is something that means a lot to Pickens and for him to feel snubbed, you would have to look at who was ahead of him. They took four total receivers that were Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Ja'Marr Chase, and Davante Adams. Now, don't get me wrong, I am all aboard the Pickens hype train, but I don't feel that he was better than those four last year. Although, if he can make the jump this year and the Steelers are willing to give him more targets than Johnson, then he may be able to replace one of those four for the 2024 Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is something that the Steelers are not uncommon with being a part of, but last year they had very little representation at the games. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was the only Steelers player who truly made the roster. Cameron Heyward also made the games as an alternate as well as TJ Watt made it as a reserve, but did not attend the games. So, when you consider snubs of last year's Pro Bowl, I think that Pat Freiermuth is a name that should have made it at least as a reserve like Heyward.

So, what do you think Steeler Nation? Should Pickens have made the Pro Bowl last year? Let me know in the comments below!

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