Player: WR George Pickens
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: To nobody’s surprise, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin vouched for WR George Pickens during his pre-draft conference. Already cemented as the WR1 following the Diontae Johnson trade, he has the public endorsement of his teammates and coaches both on and off the field. This comes following a tumultuous, up-and-down season in which his behavior raised questions and prompted responses from the team.
The young George Pickens is one of the most talented skill position players in the entirety of the NFL. His numbers, while solid if not strong, don’t currently reflect that, but the Steelers believe they will. That’s one of the critical reasons they felt comfortable trading WR Diontae Johnson earlier this offseason. Doing so cemented Pickens as their top guy, and that means they’re comfortable with all aspects of his presence here.
“Certainly we’re really comfortable with the trajectory of George Pickens in terms of what he’s gonna be able to provide us as a player”, Tomlin said in his pre-draft press conference. “Not only in terms of play making, but what his experience within the room and within this organization provides us”.
It all sounds good, but I’m not sure you’re going to hear much different before the draft. After all, he also said that he’s really comfortable with the wide receiver room as a whole. Right now Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson are duking it out for the WR2 role, so take with salt.
The reality is, as we sit here today, the Steelers have little choice but to be comfortable with all aspects of the George Pickens experience. At least, they have to be comfortable with the tools at their disposal to manage the strands of potentialities.
Chances are we haven’t seen the last George Pickens “incident” on the field. But many great players throw a tantrum here and there—most famously QB Tom Brady. Pickens isn’t Tom Brady, and his tantrums aren’t as constructive, after all. Some of his tantrums resulted in giving poor effort on the field, such as not blocking for teammates.
But he’s a young player who knows he’s much more talented than his opportunities have provided. He is still maturing as an adult with the spotlight on him, which is never easy, and he’s taken some false steps. The Steelers believe—and hope—that he is growing from this process into a better teammate and a better player.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
