With the No. 52 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected wide receiver George Pickens out of Georgia. The 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound product out of famous high school football hotbed Hoover, Alabama joins an already impressive Steelers wide receiver room with the likes of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. The addition of Pickens can only be viewed as a positive for whatever signal-caller is at quarterback for the black and gold this fall after the Steelers used their first-round selection on hometown product, quarterback Kenny Pickett, and signed veteran Mitch Trubisky in free agency.
No matter who is throwing the ball, the weapons are exciting for the Steelers. Second-year standout running back Najee Harris broke out in a big way in his rookie season last year, scoring double-digit touchdowns, while the aforementioned Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool both had productive seasons. The Steelers are without wide receivers Ray-Ray McCloud, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and James Washington heading into 2022, but that is all the more reason to get excited about their newest addition in George Pickens.
Below we discuss three early predictions that could make the departed wide receivers an afterthought come the end of the 2022-23 season.
3 Early Predictions for George Pickens in his Rookie Season with the Steelers
3. Pickens to break Juju Smith-Schuster's rookie single-season yards record
In 2017 JuJu Smith-Schuster set the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie single-season receiving yards record with 917 yards. Having played in 14 games, that number was good for an average of 65.5 yards per game. This all with another then-loaded wide receivers room with Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and Eli Rogers all on the roster.
Since head coach Mike Tomlin took over in Pittsburgh in 2007, half of the current list of top-ten rookie single-season receiving yards totals come under his watch, with two of the top three coming in the last five seasons. If history is indicative of how the Steelers like to involve rookie wide receivers early on, it could mean good news for Pickens, who should see plenty of second and third-level targets with his expected fit in Matt Canada's offense.
Unfortunately for Steelers fans, this could also be a result of playing from behind in more than a handful of games this season.
Speaking of downfield targets…
2. Pickens will be the new deep threat, allowing Chase Claypool to work inside more
One person, who was oddly enough the person who announced the pick that brought George Pickens to the Steel City, that is happy to see Pickens in Pittsburgh is wide receiver, Chase Claypool. The arrival of Pickens is positive in a number of ways for Claypool, most notably the reduction of double coverage and the ability for Pickens to take the top off of a defense, allowing Claypool and his high-level route running to work their magic between the numbers on the first and second level.
Pickens' large frame and body control on deep balls and Claypool working the middle of the field will bode well for a reclamation project like Trubisky, or a potential first-year rookie starter like Pickett, who both come into the Steelers quarterback competition looking to build some confidence. With weapons in positions like that, the transition from future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to the next Steelers quarterback could be a short-lived one.
1. Pickens will finish with better stats than the first wide receiver taken, Drake London
There is a lot to unpack with this prediction and a lot of it lives or dies with Pickens' ability to stay healthy, and quarterback Kenny Pickett's acclimation to the NFL in his rookie season.
Despite the Atlanta Falcons having a more seasoned quarterback ready to throw the ball to their new wide receiver Drake London, the overall landscape in Pittsburgh is much more conducive to a rookie wide receiver. In Atlanta, London will have the pressure of being WR1 with the absence of Calvin Ridley (not target No. 1, see: Kyle Pitts), and not have a great running game to take pressure off of the pass catchers.
That is the exact opposite in Pittsburgh.
Many times you will hear about a player's “fit” or the “situation” they're drafted into. The Steelers' situation couldn't be more perfect for Pickens. He won't be required to help carry the passing offense and has a very good running game to keep defenses balanced and at bay. Thus, Pickens will finish with better stats in more major categories than London.
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