Steelers' George Pickens Has Learned To Dominate By Acting It Out In Practice

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens has shown he loves the spotlight since he was drafted in the second round of 2022. Pickens has been a polarizing figure among the fan base. The same crowd that wasn't happy with JuJu Smith-Schuster is frustrated that Pickens tends to act outlandishly. While some call him passionate, others think it is just showboating. However, one of his teammates has verified this is genuinely who Pickens is.

On his show, The Christian Kuntz Podcast, long snapper Christian Kuntz was asked by his co-hosts about Pickens. They said that they feel Pickens is just one of those guys who loves attention, but in the best possible way. They added that they love watching him, the celebrations, the trash talk, and the insane catches. 

"GP’s a menace," agreed Kuntz. "That's him, bro. Those dances that he does or like the celebrations, you know he was like going nuts and then he just does that (mimics Pickens pointing his fingers). He does that s**t in practice, like he'll catch a deep ball, it'll be like 7-on-7, so he'll catch a deep ball, and who knows if the corner would have made the tackle or not, but he'll run all the way to the end zone. He'll be against the fence, acting like he's talking to the fans and celebrating, like doing (mimics Pickens nodding his head at imaginary fans), acting like he's talking to the fans and celebrating. He's like doing this s**t in practice."

Kuntz's co-hosts all said they respect his commitment and passion. In their minds, Pickens is a player who genuinely believes in his talent. It isn't about being conceited; rather, his actions act as fuel to get him fired up for the games. As he says, he's "always f***ing open." Kuntz was asked if he thought this was just a visualization or if he was actually in his own world. 

"I don't think it's visualization," answered Kuntz. "I think it's just him being him. He's a smart dude. He understands football on another level. We threw him a slant on third and eight, the safety was coming down and as the ball is coming in, he ran this slant, he had Marlon [Humphrey] on his back and he had Kyle Hamilton coming down. He left the ball to see where the safety was, saw the safety come down, about to rock him, located the ball and (mimics holding his hands out as if to catch), stuck it back and then avoided the hit. That is crazy body control awareness."

Pickens is fourth in the league for receiving yards so far this season. He has become a household name for the wild, body-contrasting catches he makes. Kuntz brought up the recent catch Pickens made that was incomplete because he tapped the same foot twice rather than each touching.  

While he has been criticized in the past for being selfish, he has thrown himself into run blocking this season and has improved. It isn't just his on-field catches or amplified celebrations that get him noticed; it is also his off-field antics. He has used that behavior to get under the skin of defenders. 

Steelers' George Pickens Hopes To Be Even More Open

While Arthur Smith hasn't fully involved Mike Williams, Pickens expressed excitement about the opportunities it presents. Pickens knows that having another big-bodied receiver on the field increases the likelihood that someone will make a big catch. 

When it became clear that the Steelers would have to find another receiver to help take some of the attention off Pickens, many were worried that he wouldn't handle it well. Pickens has shown behaviors consistent with poor sportsmanship in the past, but he has handled this well. He said he even offered his new teammate some encouragement. 

Are you surprised to hear that Pickens acts the same all the time? Click to comment below.

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