Initial grades for all 7 of the Steelers 2022 draft picks

Steelers pick 52

Grade: A

Easily the best pick of the class, George Pickens has all of the traits you want in a potential starting receiver. He has the size and speed to win all over the field and he has some of the best hands in college football from last season. While he is limited to being an outside-only receiver, there is good reason to believe that Pickens will be a strong starter for the team sooner rather than later.

Pickens was hyped as a potential first-round pick before an ACL tear derailed most of his junior season. Had he been healthy, there was good reason to believe that he would have been one of the top names drafted at the receiver position. The only thing he could work on is sharpening some of his routes. Beyond that, he has some very complete tape as a receiving prospect.

He does have some reported off-the-field issues, and that is something to monitor going forward, but the sky is the limit with Pickens. Expect him to crack the receiving rotation sooner rather than later and to make an impact in his rookie season. He has superstar potential and the Steelers got him in the second round. He is the most exciting pick from this class and it isn’t particularly close.