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For years now, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been well renowned for being one of the top teams in the NFL when it comes to simply developing wide receivers. With George Pickens, head coach Mike Tomlin sees that the former Georgia wideout has plenty to offer to the Steelers offense.
Pickens was picked by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The team has had quality success as of late in exploiting the potential out of its wideouts who were selected in the second round, from JuJu Smith-Schuster to Chase Claypool.
In Pickens’ case, there were some red flags for him heading into this year's draft, including the fact that he was sidelined for much of the 2021 campaign due to an ACL injury suffered during a non-contact drill in March 2021. Nonetheless, Tomlin, as he touched on during a post-draft press conference on Saturday, had no major concerns with Pickens.
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“Quite frankly, we just think there's a heck of a lot more meat on that bone,” Tomlin said. “His talent was very evident. His health was very evident at his Pro Day. We got a bird's eye view of an extended workout at that Pro Day, really comfortable with what we saw. The things that he's been able to do and the pedigree that he brings is exciting.”
Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada also views much promise in Pickens' on-field play. He noted that the former Georgia talent has what it takes to feature out wide and also as a slot receiver.
Pickens joins the Steelers after a promising three-year run in Georgia, where he tallied for 1,347 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns in 24 total games played.
