The AFC North is home to some top-caliber wide receivers. Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, Amari Cooper, heck, even the ghost of Odell Beckham Jr. (okay, maybe a reach). However, according to Pro Football Focus’ recent rankings of the highest-graded NFL receivers this past week, George Pickens is among the cream of the crop.
The second-year professional out of the University of Georgia played some of his best football for the Steelers in the team’s interdivisional matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Pickens looked like a Lamborghini among Honda Civics against the Ravens secondary, and his grade showed it with a 90.1 overall. Only Chase of the Bengals had a higher-graded game within the division, grading out with a 92.6 after hanging 15 catches, 192 yards, and three touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals.
While Pickens didn’t have stats that mirrored playing against the computer on rookie-level in Madden, he did enjoy a successful day at the office. In total, the wideout tallied six receptions for 130 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Here’s what PFF’s Lauren Gray had to say about his performance:
“Week 5 marked quite the turnaround for George Pickens,” Gray said. “He went from a season-low 25-yard performance against Houston to a season-best 130-yard day against Baltimore. It was his second 100-yard game of the season. Baltimore fielded the top-ranked coverage defense (89.9) heading into this matchup, but Pickens accounted for four plays of 20-plus yards, including a 41-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He finished second in average target depth (21.1 yards) and generated 3.61 yards per route run.”
The main takeaway here should be the bounce-back element of the story. Pickens, along with the rest of the team, had their lunch money taken from them in Week Four by the Houston Texans. They were out-physicaled, out-executed, and outcoached on all three levels, but that was a far cry from against the Ravens with No. 14 leading the charge.
This season has had its fair share of up-and-downs through five weeks. Pickens has been one of the consistent bright spots at a time when the team has needed him most. After the loss of Diontae Johnson in Week One due to a hamstring injury, the enigmatic playmaker was thrust into the WR1 role for the team. He currently is 18th in the NFL in targets, just four away from ranking in the top 10. Even more impressive, he has not had a drop yet this season.
To put a bow on the PFF article, outside of Chase, only D.J. Moore, Josh Reynolds and Tyreek Hill had better receiving grades on the week than Pickens. A welcome sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they head into their bye week.
