While the two haven’t been working together for all that long, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson sees a lot of potential in his top receiver George Pickens. During an appearance on Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Wilson praised Pickens’ natural abilities as a wide receiver and said that he has the potential to be one of the best who’s ever played.
“I think the best thing about him is he has this natural instinct for the ball. His ability to track the ball, his ability to effortlessly get open in certain spaces,” Wilson said.
He also praised Pickens’ ability to make people miss, which he called “really remarkable,” and said that Pickens wants to be great.
“I feel like part of my responsibility to push him every day to what it’s gonna take, and that’s the part that I love,” Wilson said. “I think George has every bit of potential to be one of the best to play this game. It takes work, though. It takes obsession. It takes wild, wild obsession. And I think that he’s on that track. It’s been cool to watch his growth even from OTAs to now.”
Wilson has been around a lot of talented receivers, and he said that he sees the same qualities in Pickens that he saw in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Sidney Rice, among others. Pickens is coming off an impressive sophomore season in which he topped the 1,000-yard mark with 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns, and Wilson clearly believes that more of that is on the way for Pickens.
If Wilson does start, he’ll be the best quarterback that Pickens has played with in his career, and the two almost connected on a catch along the sideline that would’ve been a big gain against the Bills. It seems as if they’re already developing chemistry, and that connection could be big for the Steelers this season.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have a ton of receiver talent on the roster, and Wilson throws a good deep ball, which could open things up for Pickens downfield. As Pittsburgh’s No. 1 receiver, he’s going to face extra attention from defenses though, so the Steelers are going to need to find ways to scheme him open. That could mean moving him around the offense, and Pickens said he’s already been playing in the slot more than before.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Steelers are able to get out of Pickens this season, but Wilson clearly believes he could be in for a big season. If the two of them develop chemistry early, Pittsburgh’s passing attack is going to benefit in a big way.
