Grading each selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 NFL Draft
By Tommy Jaggi
WR George Pickens: A
I couldn’t have been a whole lot happier with this pick in the second round for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I had George Pickens as the 37th-best player on my 2022 draft board and getting him at pick 52 was excellent value.
Pickens is a player who really stood out to me since watching his freshman tape back in 2019. The former five-star recruit had great size and amazing physical gifts. Though he still needs to work on route-running and beating the press, Pickens has incredibly natural hands and is remarkable at the catch point.
It just so happened that this pick also lined up with a major need at wide receiver after the Steelers lost JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Ray-Ray McCloud this offseason. Pickens will be better than all of them, I have very little doubt.
The only thing keeping Pickens from a being a perfect “A+” grade are a few concerns. Some teams flagged Pickens for character and maturity issues. He also is coming off a torn ACL early in the 2021 season. Still, I highly doubt fans will be disappointed in what George Pickens will offer on the field.