Where will George Pickens rank among number-one wide receivers by the end of the season?
The Steelers effectively cemented George Pickens as their number one wide receiver this offseason by trading Diontae Johnson. Without Johnson, all they have behind Pickens is Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, and Quez Watkins. Few teams would have any of them as starters, but few have a George Pickens.
Now, Pickens hasn’t torn through the record books yet or even made a Pro Bowl. He still has so much to accomplish going into his third season. But everybody recognizes the amount of talent that he has and the circumstances of his first two years. Playing with Kenny Pickett at quarterback under Matt Canada as offensive coordinator is not conducive to breakout numbers.
While Pickens is extremely talented, he has a couple of things working against him. For one thing, the league is full of talented wide receivers at this point, and many of them have accomplished more in their careers than Pickens’ nine touchdowns and just under 2,000 yards over two seasons.
On top of that, he’s still playing in what is likely to be a run-heavy offense with less-than-elite quarterback play. I’m sure Pickens will fare better with Arthur Smith and Russell Wilson than Pickett and Canada, but he’s not challenging records.
To begin with, would George Pickens be considered a top-half wide receiver right now, entering his third season? For example, you have Amari Cooper and Ja’Marr Chase just in the AFC North. There’s Tyreek Hill in Miami, Stefon Diggs in Houston, Davante Adams in Las Vegas, and Michael Pittman Jr. in Indianapolis. Turn over to the NFC and you find CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown, D.J. Moore, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, etc.
It’s easy to name a talented player the “Top X” whatever category you’re considering until you start putting together an actual list. This is one of the reasons you have 45 surefire first-round picks every year with 32 first-round selections. Pickens has some ground to cover if he wants to get that Pro Bowl nod that he believes he’s been snubbed of twice now.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
