At this point in his career, it seems like George Pickens was born to play wide receiver in the NFL.
Insane body control, absurd hands, great size and speed and impressive physicality.
Turns out, it wasn’t all God-given ability. He had some help from his older brother.
Pickens’ older brother, Chris Humes, knows a thing or two about being a professional athlete. Seven years older than Pickens, Humes was a star at Arkansas State before landing with the then-Oakland Raiders for one season in the NFL. After that, Humes spent four seasons in the CFL, putting together a solid career north of the border as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Now after working with his younger brother in Pickens over the years, toughening him up, making him catch high school footballs when he was in grade school and schooling him on what to look for as a receiver from a defensive back’s standpoint, Humes can sit back and watch Pickens dominant week after week.
Speaking with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews earlier in the week for a 1-on-1 segment on the team’s website, Pickens credited Humes for helping him level up as a player and prepare him for what’s to come in his professional career.
“My brother really helped me in the whole game of football, just him being a defensive back and me wanting to play receiver. That wasn’t even planned. I used to play running back and he just used to encourage me and be super, super tough. He’s seven years older than me. …it was a little unfair,” Pickens said to Matthews regarding Humes, according to video via Steelers.com. “When he was in high school, I was catching high school balls. Everything was just a level up, everything I did just being around my brother.
“It helped a lot. It transferred into my game last year, being an outstanding rookie and this year trying to continue that. Just really about never being caught off guard; that’s like the biggest thing that he brought out of me. I was never shocked by somebody being bigger or stronger.”
After an older brother to lean on at an early age and learn the game, understand the day-to-day requirements and how to think about the game at a whole different level of his peers gave Pickens a leg up. Then, his talents took over.
Pickens developed into a high-level four-star wide receiver in high school while growing up in Hoover, Alabama. Pickens had a ton of offers coming out of high school and originally committed to Auburn. But then he changed course to leave his home state and signed with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Right away in the SEC, Pickens showed just how much of a force he was going to be. In practice he showed off his absurd hands that were honed from a young age catching footballs bigger than his age group. He also learned how to attack leverage, set up cornerbacks and really think the game at a different level, all thanks to his older brother who passed on everything he knew.
That help from his older brother has helped shape Pickens into the player he is today, one that is on the cusp of stardom and potentially pushing himself into the top 10-15 wide receiver conversation in the NFL overall.
Pickens took his brother’s words of wisdom and guidance from a football perspective and put them into action. Now, he’s trying to show all that time and energy invested from his brother is worth it.
