Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver George Pickens has been the center of attention around the league since the night he was drafted. From his viral video where he was standing in an odd way watching himself get drafted, to his sensational catch on Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, Pickens has become a fan favorite not only to Steelers Nation, but throughout the NFL.
This week, Dale Lolley of Steelers.com wrote a feature piece on the Steelers rookie wide out which included quotes from the Steelers wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson. Jackson talked about how Pickens doesn’t just view himself as just a regular wide receiver, but instead, “an alien.”
“‘He claims that he’s an alien,’ Jackson said with a laugh. ‘Some of the stuff that he does, I’m starting to believe he might be one. He has freaky athletic ability, especially for someone as big as he is’” said Jackson.
The last Steelers wide receiver called themselves an “alien” was the uber-talented Martavis Bryant, and funny enough, their measurables are really similar. Pickens is listed at 6’3 200 pounds with an 32 1/2 inch arms while Bryant was listed as 6’4 210 with 32 3/4 inch arms.
The similarities between the two “aliens” don’t end there either, as both made incredible catches in the state of Ohio, the Pickens grab against the Browns mentioned earlier and the touchdown grab Martavis Bryant made against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2015 Wild Card game. The Steelers will hope Pickens can stay on the field unlike Bryant who struggles with suspensions due to the use of marijuana.
In the Pickens’ piece, Jackson continued raving about Pickens freakish athletic ability and he is excited to finally get to coach a receiver with the ability that he has.
“I haven’t personally coached one [an alien], but you see guys, the Randy Mosses, the Calvin Johnsons, that can move and contort their bodies in different ways that, normally, guys around their size couldn’t do. But he does it pretty naturally.”
Pickens jump ball ability is frankly incredible. He has an innate ability to find the ball and high point it, turning 50/50 balls into 70/30 balls. Since rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett took over the starting job he has been targeted third most on the team with 25, one less than recently traded Chase Claypool. With Claypool not on the team anymore Pickens should expect more targets coming his way.
Jackson said he has never got the chance to coach anyone with the talent of Pickens, but he has still gotten great production out of good receivers in circumstances that are not ideal. The past two seasons, Jackson was the wide receivers coach for the Carolina Panthers and despite poor quarterback play, helped develop DJ Moore into one of the better wide receivers in the NFL. Moore recorded 2,350 yards, 159 catches, and eight touchdowns in his two seasons under the tutelage of Jackson.
George Pickens is poised and determined to become one of the top receivers in the NFL, and with Jackson coaching him he has the ability to get there. As the Steelers season progresses it is important that the Pickett and Pickens connection continues to grow so that Kenny Pickett can turn to the “alien” for big plays just like Ben Roethlisberger turned to his “alien” Martavis Bryant for big plays.
