The Pittsburgh Steelers offense hasn’t looked particularly impressive this year, but there are moments that make it seem like they can be a competent unit. They haven’t gotten great production out of their receivers. However, George Pickens still looks like a capable number-one threat. Analyst Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports believes that Pickens is the most impressive thing about the Steelers.
“The most impressive thing to me has actually been George Pickens,” Harmon said recently to his co-host, Nate Tice, on the podcast Football 301. “You and I have had conversations about Pickens in the past, kind of being a little bit more hesitant to buy fully into the player.
“I think that he is playing the best football that I’ve seen him play in the NFL, and it’s not even close. I think he looks more like the route runner and separator that he was in college as opposed to the first two years of his career.”
The Steelers’ defense has arguably been the best in the NFL, so it’s tough to definitively say Pickens has been the most impressive part of their team. If you’re just talking about individual players, T.J. Watt probably has the best argument. However, that doesn’t mean Harmon is wrong.
It could be argued that the dominance of the Steelers’ defense and Watt isn’t surprising. When healthy, they’ve usually been among the NFL’s best. On the other hand, Pickens has had moments where he looks amazing, but he hasn’t had a true breakout season yet. This year, he got a lot more responsibility on his plate with Diontae Johnson being traded, and he hasn’t missed a beat.
Pickens’ stats might not wow anyone, especially because he doesn’t have a touchdown yet this year, but he’s been unbelievable. It feels like every catch he makes is more absurd than the last. Some of his best work has been wiped out by penalties, too. He had a few gaffs against the Indianapolis Colts, but that shouldn’t detract from how brilliant he’s been.
It would be easy to be down on Pickens with the Steelers’ offense struggling, but he hasn’t been the problem. Injuries have really diminished their running game, and if it ever picks up, so too should Pickens’ stats. He’s been the only real threat through the air for the Steelers, and even with that extra responsibility and attention, he hasn’t disappointed. There’s no doubt Pickens has been impressive.
