Player superlatives for the Steelers 2022 NFL Draft picks

Steelers potential star

Without a doubt in my mind, the best pick in this entire class has to be George Pickens. The only reason a player of his caliber is available that late in the second round is due to how deep this receiver class was. Had Pickens been healthy in his final year, he likely would have been in contention to be the first receiver off the board in this draft.

Pickens can do it all and played in a pro-style offense at Georgia to boot. He has the speed to win deep, runs smooth routes, and he has some of the best hands in all of college football. He has the makings of an elite player in time as his skill set and ability to line up almost anywhere are huge assets to an offense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him atop some rookie-of-the-year considerations when this is all said and done.

While long term there are those reported maturity issues, the Steelers have been able to clean some of that up in recent years. Just look at Chase Claypool, who started the year off acting up during games a bit before settling down by the season’s end. Pickens will have to learn that element of playing, but he looks like a good one on paper. Don’t be surprised to see him be the Steelers go-to guy by season’s end.

The Steelers had a strong draft overall with a lot of things to like about it as a whole. While these superlatives are based on college production and initial reactions, I feel relatively confident in the awards I handed out. Keep them in mind once the season rolls around as to who will be a top name or not.