In 2023, the modern passing game is all about separation. Getting the ball to your most explosive playmakers in space so they can make something happen. It makes your wide receivers valuable and helps prevent your quarterback from throwing costly interceptions.
George Pickens is pushing back against this concept. Instead of adopting the new-school philosophy of complicated timing routes and doing whatever it takes to get open, he’s going old school. Just throw it up, it doesn’t matter who is covering me, I’ll go get it. Classic backyard football.
Newly signed CB Patrick Peterson watched this at training camp every day and observed the budding rivalry between Pickens and rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. Peterson made the assessment of Pickens’ game on All Things Covered with former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden.
“George is the type of guy who likes that bully ball. He wants the DB to be in his space.” Peterson noted. “He wants the contact. He wants the defensive back to be in close proximity because he feels like he’s unguardable in a sense. No matter where the quarterback throws the ball nine times out of ten, especially if you’re pressing [him], you’re not gonna be able to locate the ball. [He has] the best chances of coming down with it.”
While not everyone can pull off this style of play, Pickens has shown an ability to. His style of wanting the defender to be all over him because he can go up and get the ball anyway is risky but also unstoppable if it works. And that bully-ball attitude is going to fit right in with the 2023 Steelers.
McFadden even went as far as to compare him to former Cincinnati Bengals W, Chad Ochocinco.
“Chad, he’s had these crazy catches and the toe tap catches and he’s just, Michael Jackson leaning with it, George Pickens kind of has a little bit of that,” McFadden stated. “But you talked about the physical nature, which he displays as well. He wants that activity and a lot of receivers don’t want that. So, the sky’s the limit, man.”
While Ochocinco had his share of off-the-field concerns through the years, being compared to him on the field is certainly a compliment. He had six straight 1,000-yard seasons during his career and also made three All-Pro teams. What’s interesting to note is that Pickens actually has better measurables than Ochocinco, being 6-foot-3, 200 pounds with a 4.47 40-time, compared to 6-foot-1, 188 pounds and a 4.57 40-time for Ochocinco. This allows him to utilize his “bully-ball” strategy even better, as the athleticism around the NFL has only increased over recent years.
As Pickens moves into Year Two, he’s talked about expanding his game and working on the little things to truly be able to become an elite receiver in the NFL. But it’s good to know that he will always have his natural gifts in his back pocket, and when all else fails, he has the capability to win those crucial jump balls.
