The 2022 NFL draft is complete and all of the Steelers’ picks are in, but who was the player that Pittsburgh got later than he was expected to go?
The player who was Pittsburgh’s steal of the draft is Geroge Pickens, the wide receiver from Georgia. Pittsburgh picked him in the 2nd round at pick 52 and he was talked about being a late first or early second-round pick.
Pickens was one of the two receivers Pittsburgh drafted and he is the steal of the draft because Pittsburgh needed immediate help at the position. He reminds me of another Georgia receiver the Steelers drafted long ago.
George Pickens will make an immediate impact in Pittsburgh, no matter which QB is throwing him the ball. Pickens, 21, stands at 6’3″ and adds more height and speed to the receiver room, which was needed after losing Juju Smith-Schuster in free agency.
One of the things that makes him a great pick is his ability to be physical and to be a tone-setter for the offense, which again is a much-needed thing. Pickens is a former 5-star recruit out of high school and he lived up to it at Georgia during his freshman year, he racked up 727 yards and 8 touchdowns on 49 receptions in 12 games, via Sports Reference.
Pickens played just 12 games combined during his sophomore and junior season and put up 620 yards and 6 touchdowns on 41 catches, including a National Championship appearance and win.
The Georgia product is a mixture of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, speed, and height. His arm length helps him beat defenders and he’s pretty good at making plays downfield. He is a big YAC guy and has averaged over 14 yards per reception in each of his 3 years at Georiga and because of that he makes splash plays and can be a great target in critical situations and on 3rd and 4th downs.
Pickens did miss most of his junior season with a torn ACL he suffered in 2021 but produced when he came back and didn’t seem to miss a beat. He can create separation and seems to make the contested catches, which will greatly help out Kenny Pickett if he starts.
Pickens passed through many receiver needy teams two and maybe even three times like Green Bay, New England, Baltimore, Houston, and Tennessee, that’s why he is the steal of the draft, especially since teams who traded away receivers like Baltimore didn’t take a receiver at all.
I don’t know about every fan, but I’m excited to see the Pickett to Pickens connection that will hopefully be fun to watch for years to come.