Pittsburgh is a long way away from Georgia, but rookie wide receiver George Pickens is adjusting to Pittsburgh quite fine. While this is the second week where most of the players are out there, for Pickens it’s been great.
“[I]t’s been really good. I mean, a lot of the guys in this team, you know, in this organization really like helping guys, which means [they’re] gonna depend on them and then they’ll help you out a little bit too.” said Pickens via the team’s YouTube channel.
Pittsburgh has been historically known to help players out, any player who has come through the halls. Even if they are no longer on the team, the bond and the support the Steelers bring is forever talked about.
Pickens hasn’t really been anywhere outside of hometown in Alabama or Georgia until now. While having a talent like Pickens is going to be a great piece for the Steelers for so many reasons, one reason is being able to use him in the slot. For Pickens, playing slot receiver is nothing new since he has practiced playing slot receiver since Georgia.
“So that’s what a lot of people didn’t know, but like you [see] on film, I show outside receiver, I’m tall outside receiver, but me adjusting to the slot is really good.” Pickens said.
During the draft process, Pickens said that he was open to expanding his role on whatever team picked him up. Pittsburgh was one of those teams that was heavily interested in him during their visit to Georgia. You could say Pickens in Pittsburgh is a match made in heaven for his size, ability to get after the ball, and best of all, his speed.
Pickens’ height — 6’2″ – is an inch taller than former Steelers JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is 6’1″. With the Steelers letting Smith-Schuster go, Pickens could be the upgrade that the offense needed. Pickens and Smith-Schuster are similar in some ways like being able to block inside or get after the ball, but it’s the speed that separates Pickens from Smith-Schuster.
While Pickens played outside most of the time at Georgia, having a player like Pickens who wants to expand his role on the team will go a long way to creating plays for him when the season kicks off.
Until then, we’ll just have to wait and dream what it’ll be like to have Pickens on the field doing some acrobatic catches like the ones he caught at Georgia.
