Steelers' George Pickens Reminds Patrick Peterson Of 2 Of The NFL's Best Wide Receivers

Pittsburgh Steelers' Patrick Peterson was on former Super Bowl Champion Chris Long's podcast Green Light this week talking about his new teammate, George Pickens. Pickens has already drawn comparisons from another AFC North great who Peterson played against in college, AJ Green, for his body control and ability to go up and get the football. Being that Peterson has lined up against some of the NFL's best wide receivers ever, like Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss, who better to ask than him?

Steelers Receiver or Superhero?

Pickens has been nothing short of a human highlight reel thus far in his two-year career making catches that have you scratching your head and asking yourself if he is a real-life superhero. When asked if there was anyone that Peterson played with or against that compared to him, Peterson had a few greats in mind.

“Man, he reminds me of a couple of guys that I played with in the past, you know I feel like he has the hands, and I told him this. He reminds me a lot of DeAndre Hopkins in the way he goes up and attacks the football, you know his catch radius, there's not a lot of passes that you see DeAndre Hopkins drop no matter how he catches it. He's going to come down with it. He has a little bit of Chad Johnson too as far as his body type and his body structure. He's a very lean and awkward route runner, kind of like a Chad Johnson."

Steelers Love To Compete

The Johnson comparison makes sense, especially after a recent interview after practice, Pickens stated, "When I'm open or when I'm not open, I'm always open." Famously, Johnson used to call coaches in the middle of the night just to tell them "I'm open" and hang up. It didn't take long for Peterson to notice just how special Pickens really is. Only a day after the Steelers first padded practice on August 1st, the new defensive back sent out a tweet with a photo of him trying to defend Pickens, with the caption "That man 14 different."

Peterson went on to talk about Pickens' deceptive speed and that he thinks comes from his long stride, which helps him to gain ground and stack on top of defensive backs. Peterson is not the only Steelers defensive back that Pickens has been going at during camp either. Second round draft pick, Joey Porter Jr. has had his fair share of trying to cover Pickens in practice as well. While the two have gone back and forth, one wouldn't argue if you said that Pickens has gotten the best of Porter thus far in camp. When asked about their battles on the field, Porter had this to say:

“It's been great, iron sharpens iron, we had a good little one on one. He caught some crazy stuff down there, don’t know how he caught it, but it's great. We are always going to talk candid, but we are teammates at the end of the day, we’re just working.”

AP

Steelers receiver George Pickens and cornerback Joey Porter Jr are providing each other stiff competition at training camp

Steelers DB Peterson Loves The Culture

Peterson may be new to the team this year, but he isn't new to the Steelers culture. Peterson's cousin and co-host on his podcast All Things Covered, is former Steelers defensive back, Bryant McFadden, who actually tried to have Mike Tomlin go watch Peterson back in the day when he was playing high school football down in Louisiana. The 13-year vet looks to provide more than just leadership on the field this year and is ready to play any style of defense they need him to play. With daily reps against guys like Pickens and Diontae Johnson, Peterson should be more than ready for what the rest of the NFL brings to the table in 2023.

Give Me Your Thoughts Steeler Nation 

Are you excited to see Peterson lined up alongside guys like Porter Jr. and Minkah Fitzpatrick? How many Interceptions will he have this season? Let me know down in the comments!

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