The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is going to feature a heavy dose of running the football, that much is certain. But they are still going to need to pass the ball to keep up with certain offenses around the league, or to catch up when they fall behind early in games. Far and away, the most talented wide receiver on the roster is George Pickens. With no clear WR2 to take the defense’s attention away from him, the Steelers are going to need to get creative with how they use him.
That includes moving him around and playing him in the slot to exploit different matchups and stress opposing defenses in all areas of the field. Pickens knows this and spent much of the offseason working to improve his intermediate routes.
“Probably my routes, my intermediate routes, like my slot work. I’ve been doing that all offseason,” Pickens said when asked about his offseason work in a video posted on Prospect Media’s YouTube. “That is for sure gonna improve this year. I’m gonna be on different sides of the ball. In slot, not just outside. Y’all gonna see. Stay tuned now, it’s gonna be a crazy year.”
Pickens proved that he can be a deep threat with the highest yards per reception (18.1) in the league last year. But to be a No. 1 wide receiver, you ideally want to see anywhere from six to 10 catches per game, consistently helping the offense move the chains with first-down plays.
He had 63 receptions last season on 106 targets. Some of the top No. 1 WRs in the NFL, which Pickens aspires to be, had nearly double his receptions total last year. He had the 35th most receptions among wide receivers, so there were even some No. 2 receivers who were more involved than him. Of his 1,140 total receiving yards last season, 776 of those came on 22 explosive plays of 20 or more yards. That left just 364 yards on his remaining 41 receptions.
Even Tyreek Hill, whom many view as the premier home run threat in the NFL, had 83 first downs compared to Pickens’ 42. You definitely want to see Pickens’ explosive-play production remain the same or increase, but his next step will be becoming a consistent chain mover for the offense.
Playing in the slot, where the Steelers have been using him more and more throughout training camp, will help Pickens achieve that. So will the work he put in this offseason with people like Route God, who works with some of the top receivers in the NFL. George Pickens is poised to take that next step to being among the top No. 1 WRs in the NFL.
