While everybody agrees that the Pittsburgh Steelers need another wide receiver, there is also general consensus about George Pickens. The third-year veteran has all the skills required to be one of the very best in the game. He’s already accomplished much while working with little, so there’s a lot of meat left on the bone.
“The cool thing for Pittsburgh here is the fact Pickens has the potential to be truly great and very versatile”, The Athletic draft expect Nick Baumgartner said of him recently. “There aren’t many receivers on this board who don’t fit for Pittsburgh right now”.
The Steelers, he argues, can get away with adding any number of different skill sets to pair with Pickens. He has that knack for playmaking ability that serves as a complement to any type of wide receiver. He even suggested that pairing Pickens with another Pickens-like receiver such as Xavier Legette makes a lot of sense. But getting the most out of the whole receiving corps also means getting more out of the number one receiver.
“I think the great thing about Pickens is how versatile he is”, Baumgardner said, acknowledging untapped potential in the slot. “He’s obviously a big-bodied, powerful target who does his best damage outside. And while the Steelers didn’t use Pickens in a slot a ton last year, that doesn’t mean they can’t do so moving forward”.
He explained that Pickens “averaged nearly 24 yards per catch on seven receptions from the slot last year. I’m never against trying to find more of a good thing. If Pittsburgh wants to pair Pickens with another version of, well, Pickens, I think that still accomplishes what you want”.
Granted, seven receptions is an incredibly small sample size, so take that yards per catch figure with a massive grain of salt. Nevertheless, he led the league in yards per catch as a whole just last season, so he has the ability to be explosive anywhere.
Obviously the Steelers are not going to turn Pickens into a slot receiver, but de-anchoring him can help his game. Right now, he has a fairly predictable game on the whole. If a defensive coordinator really committed to taking him out of the game, they can, and they have.
During his second season in 2023, Pickens recorded 63 catches for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. His production, however, really ran hot and cold. On multiple occasions, he had both a 100-yard game and a zero-yard game within a three-week span.
While he only saw fewer than five targets in a game just twice on the season, he also only drew more than six targets seven times. When he did see seven-plus targets, Pickens produced 603 yards. He went over 100 yards in both of his 10-target games, never seeing more than 10.
With Diontae Johnson gone, that’s very likely to change, even assuming they add an immediate rookie starter. And if Baumgardner is right, Pickens’ presence will only aid in the rookie’s ability to contribute right away. No matter who it is and what style he brings to the offense, because they all pair well with his skill set.
