He might not be at Organized Team Activities, but third-year Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver George Pickens remains a key talking point for the Black and Gold.
As the wide receiver market blows up around the Steelers from a new contract standpoint in recent weeks, Pickens needs a running mate as a true No. 2 receiver following the trade of Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers.
The Steelers drafted Roman Wilson out of Michigan in the third round and added Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, and Scotty Miller in free agency, but more work is needed there. That might not happen for the Steelers anytime soon, though, which has many concerned about the type of coverages that Pickens will see in 2024, potentially negating his impact.
Jefferson doesn’t see it that way, though, and believes, at least according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko, that Pickens could be a 1,500 to 1,800-yard receiver for the Steelers.
“There’s just so many unknown variables and I think George Pickens is one as well,” Batko said during an appearance on the 93.7 The Fan PM Show, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “Van Jefferson said today that he thinks Pickens can be a 1,500 or 1,800-yard receiver and that he’s eager to see how he develops in year three.”
The question was framed as to what the Steelers want to be offensively, and if they don’t know what they want to be, maybe that is causing them to hold back a bit in the receiver market. But Batko took a different angle, playing off of the unknowns with so many new faces on that side of the football, not to mention the presence of Pickens.
Last season, George Pickens hauled in 62 passes for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. He had five 100-yard receiving games on the season, 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.
Down the stretch, Pickens was a force, one that opposing defenses didn’t have an answer for. The Ravens in Week 18 took him away entirely, paying him a lot of attention, but that allowed Johnson to have a big night, not to mention the run game.
Entering the 2024 season, Pro Football Focus sees Pickens as the 30th-best receiver in the NFL, which feels a bit low.
On paper, he doesn’t have much help around him right now, but in Arthur Smith’s scheme, there shouldn’t be any real issues with getting Pickens the football in opportunistic situations. While he doesn’t have a true No. 2 just yet, and there are concerns about the talent level in the receiver room behind him, the talent is there with Pickens to have a true breakout season and reach that 1,500 to 1,800-yard mark that Jefferson believes he could get to.
