Which rookie Steelers jerseys should you purchase before the season?

2. George Pickens jersey purchase is high risk, high reward

I can certainly see a scenario in which George Pickens will someday be viewed as a better wide receiver than Kenny Pickett is a quarterback. This doesn’t mean that he will be more valuable to the team (as QB trumps all in that department), but I’ve said from the beginning that I think Pickens has Pro Bowl upside as an NFL wide receiver.

I also said during the pre-draft process that I thought Pickens was one of the only receivers in this draft class with true WR1 upside at the next level. There are a lot of assumptions here, however.

For starters, some teams flagged Pickens for character/maturity issues prior to the draft. Some quotes from NFL executives and scouts questioned his coachability. Even if this never results in a suspension, it’s something worth considering before a purchase.

Based on history, it’s far from a guarantee that Pickens gets a second contract with the Steelers. Over the past two decades, only Hines Ward and Antonio Brown have stuck around long-term at the WR position. If you are willing to give it a shot, you may want to wait until rosters are finalized in case Pickens decides to switch his number from 14 to something else that becomes vacant after cutdowns.