As Pittsburgh Steelers’ second-round receiver George Pickens is having himself a very impressive camp, some are raising the question of what to make of this given that it’s only training camp. Mason Rudolph, the longest-tenured quarterback on the roster and competing for the starting role, weighed in on Pickens’ performance.
“I think you can see a lot,” Rudolph said in a 93.7 The Fan interview with Jim Colony regarding what you can learn from Pickens’ training camp. “I’ve watched the way that George, as well as Calvin [Austin III], as well as a lot of younger players, have come in and worked have been hungry, asked questions from a meeting standpoint, they’re hungry to learn. And I think George has got a lot of ability and I think if he keeps his head on straight, which you know he’s a good kid, he’s gonna make a lot of plays he’s already, you’ve seen the plays made. He’s done a great job high-pointing the ball, combat catches, go-balls down the field, he’s got another gear.”
It is far from a secret that Pickens’ training camp performance has caught the eyes of many. While Head Coach Mike Tomlin recently poured cold water on the hype, it’s easy to imagine the Steelers are thrilled with what they’ve observed so far.
hard to imagine that the Steelers coaching staff is not thrilled with what they have seen from Pickens so far.
Rudolph, who has now had five training camps with the team, has had the first-hand opportunity to play with Pickens. In doing so, he certainly seems as impressed as the rest of us thus far. Granted, the question of whether this training camp performance in shorts will translate to on-the-field success has yet to be answered. However, Pickens’ confidence and success against established veterans in the Steelers’ secondary checks off several boxes from what the coaching staff hoped for in drafting him at the very least. That is, Pickens has more than displayed the requisite confidence in his abilities to be an impact player. Questions regarding whether his play will translate aside, confidence alone is significant in the making of an NFL career.
Simply put, not many rookies walk into camp with the confidence to trash-talk their teams’ pro-bowl safety and veteran corners. This degree of confidence isn’t shocking for the rookie, as his college career was marked by his trash-talking.
After all, there is no doubt that Pickens’ college play and measurables warranted a first-round pick. If it wasn’t for injuries and supposed character concerns, it is likely that he wouldn’t have been available at pick 52 for the Steelers. It’s still early but it appears that the Steeler’s pre-draft process with Pickens has paid off.
