Care to interest any of you in another George Pickens breakout article?
I know, the hype around Pickens has been growing immensely the last several months to the point where it may have lost its luster to some. Still, with Pittsburgh’s regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers fast approaching, we wait in eager anticipation to see what this offense can do for a full four quarters after torching the preseason, scoring five touchdowns on five drives by the first-team unit.
Pickens looked exceptional in that time, scoring a 33-yard touchdown in the team’s first preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a 35-yard reception in the team’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. Add in his highlight catch against CB Joey Porter Jr. in practice, and it’s understandable why the hype is so high on Pickens as he heads into Year Two. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports is firmly on the Pickens hype train, naming him his No. 1 breakout player for the 2023 season, believing he has the chance to reach the upper echelon of receivers in the league by season’s end.
“Now, history would tell us that contested-catch win rate is not stable year over year,” Trapasso said. “With Pickens, it will be. He’s that unbelievable tracking the football. And at around 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he has the ideal, super-sleek frame to become a sleek boundary option with Pickett throwing him the football in 2023. Johnson and Freiermuth will draw some coverage away from Pickens initially. By the end of 2023, Pickens will move very close to the ‘elite’ wideout tier.”
Trapasso also included QB Kenny Pickett in his breakout players’ list, placing him at No. 3 behind Pickens. Seeing as Trapasso is expecting Pickett to breakout as well only helps Pickens’ case to be in line for a potentially big 2023 season.
Pickens is an immensely talented receiver, having the ideal size, height, hands, and body control you want in an alpha wide receiver. Former Steelers CB Joe Haden recently commended Pickens’ contested-catch ability, calling 50/50 balls more like 90/10 balls since Pickens comes down with them so consistently in combative-catch situations. Pickens has gone as far to say that he thinks he can be the best receiver in the world, having the full package of a player that you’d create in Madden in terms of measurables and playmaking ability.
Still, Pickens needs to continue to show growth in the nuanced pieces of his game to take that next step. He committed to becoming a better route runner this offseason and has shown signs of that thus far through preseason play. He also will need enough target value to put up the stats associated with a breakout performance, which may be tough to come by given the depth and talent of Pittsburgh’s receiving corps. Regardless, fans should be rightfully excited about Pickens and his outlook for the 2023 season. It’s obvious that the players, coaches, and analysts around the league are, and we’re just a few days away from seeing what his sophomore season debut holds.
