Steelers Wide Receiver George Pickens Believes "It's Going To Be Easy To Score" In The Slot

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, George Pickens is entering his third season with the team at just 23 years old and will be the clear-cut number one option at receiver. Pickens is coming off of his first 1,000-yard season in his young career, but it looks like he's just getting started. He's in a new offensive scheme with a new face at quarterback. Pickens has the potential to break out in a big way with the Steelers in 2024. 

Pickens led the NFL last season with 18.1 yards per reception. He only caught 63 balls, but now that he won't be sharing targets with Diontae Johnson, we could see that number increase this upcoming season. Johnson did a lot of his work from the slot, while Pickens ran most of his routes from the perimeter. Now that Johnson is gone, there's a void in the slot. Rookie Roman Wilson could see some time lined up there, but he's an inexperienced rookie third round pick, so he might not be the primary option right away.

Pickens is listed at 6'3", 200 pounds, with good speed. He's a prototypical big play outside receiver, but his services might be needed in the slot occasionally. Although Pickens isn't known to be one of the league's best route runners, he can certainly cause some mismatches with linebackers and safeties over the middle. Pickens spoke to the media about playing in the slot in a video posted by Steelers.com.

"Not more than I ever have. I did at Georgia a little bit, but more than I have in the league of course." Pickens continued. "I'm a total receiver, so I like working in the slot, just as much as I like working at outside receiver."

Pickens then addressed why he thinks it will be easy to score in 2024.

"Speed, you know... splitting defenders, that's the biggest thing if you got super, super good speed you can split defenders... it's gonna be kind of easy to score."

Pickens is oozing with confidence headed into year three with Pittsburgh. He believes he's a total receiver that can play any of the receiver positions on the field. If he spends a substantial amount of his snaps in the slot, he could see a major rise in targets and receptions in Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith's offense. A matchup between Pickens and any linebacker, who Pickens referred to as "crash dummies," is a mismatch that needs to be exploited. The Steelers have put a lot of faith into Pickens by not adding another established receiver to pair him with. Wherever Pickens lines up, the Steelers will need him to produce.

Russell Wilson's play will have a huge impact on Pickens' success. If the Steelers get the version of Wilson that was going to Pro Bowls and playing in Super Bowls, Pickens will thrive. If Wilson plays how he did in Denver, then we might not see Pickens breakout the way he's capable of.

Last season, Pickens dealt with inconsistent quarterback play from Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. While Rudolph was solid and Pickens had some good performances with him at quarterback, it was still his third quarterback of the season.

Pickens' game-winning touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders on the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception came from the slot. That play was exactly what he talked about in his interview with the media; he used his speed to split the defenders and score an easy touchdown.

Steelers' Pickens Will Need To Produce No Matter Where He Lines Up

If Pickens is right and it's easy to score from the slot, then he should play there as much as possible. 2024 could be the year we see Pickens breakout, as well as show that he's a complete receiver that can play inside and out.

Do you think Pickens will be productive from the slot? Let us know in the comments below!

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