The first two seasons of his NFL career have been rather solid for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens.
Year 3 though, that’s the year that Pickens believes he’s truly going to break out and assert himself as that true WR1 for the Steelers. He told the Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey earlier in the week ahead of Organized Team Activities that he has reached only about 80% of his potential so far.
Third-year running back Jaylen Warren believes Pickens and sees him becoming one of the best receivers in the NFL this season.
“With his talent, going into his third year, he can definitely get up there and be one of the best in the league,” Warren said to Mackey regarding Pickens and his talent level, according to the Post-Gazette.
The tools are certainly there for Pickens to become one of the very best receivers in the NFL. He has great size and speed, the body control is out of this world, and his hands are rather impressive, too.
He’s taken steps as a route runner in the NFL and has added the all-important YAC ability to his game.
In his second NFL season, Pickens hauled in 64 passes for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns, putting up some impressive numbers overall, which included five games with 100 yards receiving in 2023. He did all that while playing with the likes of Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.
Those five 100-yard receiving games included going for 127 yards and a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, 130 yards and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, 107 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7, 195 yards and two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 and 131 yards against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.
Now, entering Year 3 he gets to work with established NFL quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, significant upgrades over what the Steelers have had in recent years.
With upgrades at quarterback, Pickens should be able to tap further into his talent and really break out. That should help improve his standing from a rankings perspective as Pro Football Focus has Pickens as the 30th-best receiver in football entering the 2024 season.
Not only does Pickens have a chance to break out and improve his stock at the receiver position, he also has the opportunity to make Steelers history at the receiver position. He needs 1,266 yards receiving to have the most receiving yards by any Steelers player through their first three seasons.
That 1,266-yard mark would also be a career high, but with Diontae Johnson off to Carolina and the true WR1 role right in front of him, Pickens could reach that mark — and then some. If he does, he’ll be well on his way to establishing himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL, much like Warren believes.
