The Pittsburgh Steelers have done an excellent job over the years unearthing and developing wide receiver talent from the draft. Sometimes those players are unheralded, such as Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, who were sixth and third-round picks, respectively. Hines Ward was a third-round pick, as was Emmanuel Sanders.
The Steelers No. 1 receiver right now, Diontae Johnson, was, you guessed it, a third-round pick. But, his stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in the offense could loosen as the team has a new player looking to become the alpha in this passing game.
George Pickens was a second-round pick of the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft. Injuries marred his career at Georgia but he possesses all of the tools to become a great wide receiver. If he can remain healthy, the sky’s the limit for him.
And, he isn’t afraid to let you know it. He is confident in his own abilities, which he shared to Kevin Clark of The Ringer. PFF shared the wild comments that Pickens made about his skill level, as he believes himself to be a created player from a video game.
“I feel like I’m the best in the whole world…If you want a receiver, you create a player, it’s ‘oh I’m gonna put his blocking 99, catching 99, speed 99.’ That’s me,” Pickens said.
The No. 52 pick by the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft certainly isn’t lacking in confidence, which is a good thing. To become the best you need to believe that you can do it and Pickens certainly feels that he has the attributes to get to that level.
During his rookie season, Pickens appeared in all 17 games, starting 12 of them. He was targeted 84 times, catching 52 passes for 801 yards and four touchdowns. His presence began to be felt once Kenny Pickett took over the starting quarterback job from Mitchell Trubisky.
Heading into the 2023 season, there is optimism that Pickens will be able to take that next step. The addition of veteran Allen Robinson will help, as he can bestow tricks of the trade upon Pickens while also, hopefully, returning to form and taking some pressure off of him on the field.
An entire offseason working with Pickett will only help the two build chemistry and cohesion to help make this Steelers offense a more explosive one through the air than it was last year. The arrow is certainly pointing up offensively in the Steel City.
