In July 2023 when he was working for The Ringer, NFL analyst Kevin Clark did one of the more fascinating interviews you’ll read with Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens. Drawing from that interview, Clark has some insight as to why Pickens does some absurd stuff on the field, like we saw against the Washington Commanders when he got into a borderline wrestling match with Mike Sainristil and seemed to be moving with no rhyme or reason.
Clark said that Pickens likes showing defenses and defensive backs things they’ve never before, which explains some of the things he does on the field that might not make a ton of sense.
“What he likes doing is running routes that the DBs never seen before. Little tiny tricks in his go balls and stuff like that. I interviewed him two years ago and he said he wants to do absurd stuff because defenses have strict rules of scheme and he wants to hit guys. It’s part of why he does the facemask stuff and the hitting guys because he wants to give defenses a picture that they’ve never seen before. Most people have not seen George Pickens do any of this stuff,” Clark said on his This Is Football show.
Watching Pickens is certainly an experience, and he’s one of just a few guys who can leave you questioning what the heck he’s doing on a routine three-yard catch. He contorts his body and is always jumping, seemingly for no reason at times. But he’s also an athletic freak who can make some of the most impressive catches out of any receiver in the league.
There’s no doubt that defenses are seeing something new each week with Pickens. While he did touch down S Jeremy Chinn, the fact that Pickens went right to wrestling with Mike Sainristil after Russell Wilson’s interception is just a glimpse into what makes Pickens one of the most fascinating players in the league.
His production over the last three games with Russell Wilson has been really impressive, and there’s hope that Pickens can continue to ascend and play like one of the best receivers in football. He has the talent to do it, but he hasn’t been able to look like a No. 1 receiver for a prolonged stretch during his career. With Wilson under center, now is the time when Pickens can really look to shine. But even if he does develop into a top-flite wide receiver, don’t expect the weirdness to go away. It’s all a part of The George Pickens Experience.
