The Pittsburgh Steelers may have selected the future for the organization's wide receiver position in the 2022 NFL Draft when the front office selected George Pickens almost a year ago. The rookie pass catcher had 52 catches and 801 receiving yards, while leading the offense with four receiving touchdowns. He made some insane, jaw-dropping catches that had the entire league buzzing. It's just the beginning for him and quarterback, Kenny Pickett, but after trading Chase Claypool back in November and an uncertainty surrounding Calvin Austin III, should the team target another wide receiver in April?
Steelers rookie wide receiver, George Pickens (#14) warms up at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA prior to a 2022 preseason game. | Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh holds the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They have glaring holes on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as the cornerback position. These three spots are what is most likely to be addressed early on, but it's fair to wonder if the Steelers will attempt to mimic what the Cincinnati Bengals did in 2021. The organization selected Ja'Marr Chase and reunited him with his collegiate quarterback, Joe Burrow and the two have been unstoppable since.
The Miami Dolphins took a similar approach when they went after Jaylen Waddle and brought him back together with Tua Tagovailoa. Both experiments have worked out very nicely and while Tagovailoa has suffered several concussions this season, the two have produced great results when on the field with one another even with speedster, Tyreek Hill on the team. Could Pittsburgh attempt to follow the same approach?
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) moves around in the pocket on an offensive possession against the New Orleans Saints at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. during a 2022 regular season game. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Former wide receiver for the University of Pittsburgh, Jordan Addison transferred to the University of Southern California for his final collegiate season after Pickett departed for the next level. Addison is expected to be taken in the top 15, but with multiple quarterback-needy teams drafting early, if he were to fall to the Steelers at #17, would he be worth drafting? Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is certainly thinking about it.
"It’s a legit topic in the big-picture sense, in that you’d be choosing a receiver your young quarterback is familiar with and could grow up with, as opposed to attacking another position of need. Having said that, would I do it? Would I draft Addison?" Starkey wrote. "I’d think about it... Yes, I would."
When Pickett and Addison played together in college, the 2021 season was an unforgettable one the both of them. Pickett was a Heisman candidate and Addison caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and seven touchdowns. The rapport between the two could propel the Steelers' offense into a different dimension. Starkey speculates on the future of Diontae Johnson if this move happened, but regardless, Pickett with two young promising pass catchers in Addison and Pickens could end up being special.
SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 27: Pittsburgh Panthers Quarterback Kenny Pickett (#8) congratulates Pittsburgh Panthers Wide Receiver Jordan Addison (#3) for scoring a touchdown during the second half of the College Football game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Syracuse Orange on November 27, 2021, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY. Photo Credot: Gregory Fisher / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
A lot comes into play here because Pittsburgh has so many needs elsewhere, but depending on how free agency goes and which players are brought in, drafting a wide receiver in the first round, if the shoe fits, could lead to a lethal connection that has already proven to work in recent years. A lot hinges on Austin III's health and the organization's stance on Johnson, but this model has worked for two franchises that are currently in the NFL playoffs. It should absolutely be a conversation in the Steelers' front office throughout the next couple of months.
Would you like to see Pittsburgh draft, and potentially even trade up, to select Addison in order to reunite him with Pickett? Let us know in the comments below!
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