Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver, George Pickens is still adjusting to life in the NFL. Or at least we thought so. Rewind to before the season, the rookie was the talk of training camp in Latrobe. He was regularly making big plays against his counterparts in practice, showing he may just be ready to make an immediate impact in 2022. Two months in, Pickens has arguably taken over the WR1 spot. With Diontae Johnson not seeing many targets, the rookie has stepped up in a big way for quarterback, Kenny Pickett.
Steelers rookie wide receiver, George Pickens makes a catch versus Alabama in college. (Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC)
Through 10 games, Pickens has 33 catches for 453 yards and two touchdowns. Against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11, he caught four balls for 83 yards and his second career touchdown. It was his third game with over 80 receiving yards, his first since Week 5. On Thursday, Pickens had a bit of a surprising comment when speaking to reporters, as Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted this out:
George Pickens said practices at Georgia were harder than the NFL because there was so much talent on the Bulldogs defense.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) November 24, 2022
On the surface, you would think this is a bit of a crazy comment. That holds particularly true when you look at his pedestrian 45 yards per game, much of which hasn't been his fault. While Pickens hasn't necessarily gotten open regularly, he catches a lot of the contested balls that come his way. In practice, Pickens faces the likes of Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace.
Now, no offense to those two, but those are not No. 1 cornerbacks in the NFL. On the contrary, Pickens faced several talented corners in his time at the University of Georgia. Two years ago, Georgia's top corners were Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell. Those two winded up as the 29th and 33rd overall picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Last season, the talent may have been even better. Georgia possessed one of the best college defenses that we have ever seen en route to winning the National Championship. In the secondary, Kelee Ringo, Derion Kendrick, and Lewis Cine led the way. Cine, a safety, was the last pick of the first round in the 2022 NFL Draft. Other than Cine, Georgia had four more defenders selected in the first round of last year's draft.
Kendrick was selected in the sixth round by the Los Angeles Rams. As for Ringo, he's currently projected as a top-20 pick in the upcoming draft. In CBS Sports' latest mock draft, they have Ringo going 11th overall. He's widely seen as the best cornerback in the upcoming draft. These are the guys that Pickens went up against in college. He was facing an elite defense as a whole, one that had double-digit NFL players on the field.
That's no disrespect to the Steelers defense, either. They have their fair share of stars like Minkah Fitzpatrick and TJ Watt, but as far as corners go, Pickens may be right in his assessment. Witherspoon has had his fair share of struggles this season after earning a contract extension last off-season. Wallace, undrafted out of Alabama, is a solid corner, but nothing special.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
What do you think of these comments by Pickens? Do you think he's correct with his statement? Has Pickens overtaken the other guys as the No. 1 WR on offense? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below, yinz!
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