Via big plays, eye-popping catches, George Pickens delivered during rookie season for Steelers
By the nature of how quickly George Pickens showed he could be a playmaker in the NFL, it was fitting that he produced the Pittsburgh Steelers’ longest touchdown of the season in what was the final game as a rookie.
After that win, during which he had a 31-yard score Jan. 8, Pickens allowed himself to take a figurative deep breath.
“I’m going to take some time,” the gifted wide receiver said of his first NFL offseason, “to really just debrief.”
Pickens could use some time off. It was a whirlwind 22 months for the 6-foot-3, 200-pound second-round draft choice. After showing the promise that had made him one of the nation’s most coveted five-star recruits coming out of high school, Pickens suffered a torn ACL during spring practice before his junior season at Georgia.
The resulting rehab, limited return to action to contribute to the Bulldogs’ national title run, preparation for the draft and NFL indoctrination would be tiring for just about anybody.
“I was really in a mindset of proving (something) to everybody,” Pickens said, “just because everybody was, ‘(Torn) ACL, is he going to be (able to do) this?’ Then I dropped down in the draft.
“But now, I’m here and showing the whole country. I just kind of want people to open their eyes a little bit.”
Pickens opened plenty of eyes during his first year with the Steelers, and many of those eyes were wide in near disbelief at some of the catches he was making. It started on the practice fields at Saint Vincent, when Pickens’ ball skills quickly made him a fan favorite because of his seemingly daily acrobatic/one-handed/contested catches.
It translated to the field, most notably his parallel-to-the-ground, one-handed 36-yard reception along the sidelines during Week 3 in Cleveland.
George Pickens making OBJ catch look small ???? #Browns #Steelers #TNF
— Ryan Doyle (@ryandoyleshow) September 23, 2022
Pickens, though, doesn’t want the rookie highlight reel to be his peak. He believes his NFL ceiling involves more production.
“That’s one of the biggest things for me,” Pickens said. “That excites me even more because now I know (about the NFL game), now that you’ve got a (motivation of being) scared of failing off after a year like this. … With me, I am gonna just do the same thing. I will probably even come back even harder, because I want to show (everyone), open eyes.”
Pickens’ 15.4 average yards per reception ranked eighth in the NFL, tops among rookies. According to the NFL’s official statistical arm, only three players were, on average, targeted deeper downfield (14.8 yards), a phenomenon that led to Pickens ranking fifth in the league in receptions over expected. In layman’s terms, Pickens caught 8.9 more passes than the average NFL receiver would, based on coverage and ball placement.
“You see how (Pickens) played this season,” veteran Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson said. “He’s going to be a great player. He’s a great player right now, so he’s going to continue that.”
Fourteen of Pickens’ 52 receptions went for at least 25 yards. The rest of the Steelers’ wide receivers corps produced just eight such gains (two by since-traded Chase Claypool).
According to Pro Football Focus, only two players had more catches on targets 20 or more yards down field than Pickens’ 16. No player who was targeted at least 20 times that deep produced a better passer rating for his quarterbacks than Pickens (131.9).
Among 111 qualifying pass-catchers evaluated by ESPN Analytics, Pickens rated as the best at making a catch when thrown to.
After a year of pro experience combined with another 12 months out from major knee surgery, it would seem Pickens has further room to grow as — perhaps — the star of the Steelers’ 2023 passing game with Johnson and a fellow 2022 rookie, quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sounds convinced Pickens will continue to ascend. The day after the season ended, he delivered a largely unsolicited stirring endorsement of Pickens the player, the person, the teammate.
“He’s a quality young man,” Tomlin said. “He is. He’s professional. He’s been really consistent in his work throughout. He loves football. He likes to work.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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