Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens is a lot different in Year Two than he was as a rookie. That’s natural and expected and make no mistake, winning vertically is still his fastball. He and the Steelers’ offense are at their best when QB Kenny Pickett is peppering him with go balls and back-shoulder fades. But Pickens is a far more complete route runner this year, no longer solely the “go deep” guy.
ESPN’s analytics back that up. Released for the first time this season is their compilation of metrics that define the best overall receivers and who wins the best in specific ways. Who is the best post-catch, who has the best hands, and who creates the most amount of separation.
Pickens is the 26th-best receiver in the league with a score of 61. That ties him with Kansas City’s Rashee Rice and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, the latter considered among the game’s top wideouts though he’s currently out with an injury.
What’s interesting is how Pickens’ specific scores have changed. As a rookie, his “open” score, how much separation he was generating, was a 48, tied for 81st in the league, around the same number as a bunch of tight ends. This year, his “open” score has risen to 60, 38th in the league. Still far from the league’s best but a better number. He’s become a more varied and nuanced route runner, able to align in different spots and run a fuller route tree. With WR Diontae Johnson out for most of the third of the season, it’s allowed him to make plays to different areas of the field, especially when defenses were taking away vertical sideline throws.
After being a contested-catch machine last year with a ridiculous 99 “catch” score per ESPN’s metrics, his number has significantly fallen in 2023. It’s now down to a 57, barely in the NFL’s top 30. Most of those struggles came early in the season with Pro Football Focus charting him losing out on his first eight contested chances.
His play has improved the past two weeks and it’s hopefully a trend that will continue.
Pickens’ YAC ability has also risen this year. As a rookie, he scored a 41 compared to this year’s 52. Improving his run-after ability was high on his list and he’s flashed it with plays like his 71-yard touchdown in Week Two against Cleveland. According to Pro Football Reference, his YAC/R has risen from 2.0 as a rookie to 6.3 as a sophomore, a dramatic change in play. Last year, his figure was the worst of any wide receiver. This year, it’s fifth-best.
On the season, Pickens leads the Steelers in targets (48), receptions (27), yards (500) and is tied with TE Pat Freiermuth for the team lead with two touchdowns.
The only other Steelers receiver included in ESPN’s chart was Allen Robinson II with an overall 48 score. That ranks 62nd overall.
According to ESPN’s analytics, the top receiver this season is Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown by a considerable margin, his 96 score nearly 10 points higher than second place’s Brandon Aiyuk with the San Francisco 49ers. The lowest score was handed to former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, a 27 overall.
