The Pittsburgh Steelers got a talented receiver in the second round in George Pickens. Here are his high-end, low-end, and most likely NFL player comparisons.
One of my favorite pieces each year is finding high-end, low-end, and most likely NFL player comparisons for each of the Pittsburgh Steelers draft selections. This year, I’m particularly intrigued by second-round wide receiver, George Pickens.
The decision to draft Pickens was one that most Steelers fans saw coming a mile away, as the team showed great interest in him during the pre-draft process. The Georgia product doesn’t come without a few injury and maturity concerns, but he’s extremely natural with excellent body control. Here are my NFL player comparisons for George Pickens:
High-end NFL comparison: Mike Williams
At 6’4” and 218 pounds entering the NFL, Mike Williams is heavier than Pickens (6’3 1/4”, 195 lbs.), but it’s very easy to draw similarities between their play styles.
Neither receiver is remarkably nuanced as route-runners, but they still have some smoothness to their games as big receivers. However, their best trait is their natural ability to win down the field in traffic — something that Pickens should excel at in the NFL as well.
Williams is a reasonable high-end comparison as the Chargers receiver already has two 1,000-yard seasons despite playing in every game just one time during his first five years. Williams has averaged over 16 yards per reception during his NFL career and is considered one of the best downfield possession threats in the league right now.
Low-end NFL comparison: Justin Hunter
Coming out of college, Justin Hunter had pretty much every trait you could ask for in an outside receiver. At 6’4” and 196 pounds, Hunter tested as a remarkable athlete with 4.44 speed. Because of his freakish traits, Hunter was formerly the number 5 overall receiver recruit in the nation coming out of high school, according to 247 Sports.
Though he had just one year of good college production at Tennessee, Hunter was selected with the 34th overall pick by the Tennesee Titans back in 2013. Sadly, he never became the player that many were expecting he would be.
The X’s and O’s of the game always seemed like a challenge to him and while he would occasionally make the big play, he was never very consistent. Hunter still averaged roughly 16 yards per reception over his six-year NFL career, but he was a disappointment. Injuries were an issue and he never played more than 14 games in a single season.
This is a pretty low NFL comparison for Hunter, but if character and/or injury issues get in the way at the next level, it’s reasonable to think that they could have a similar impact on another very talented, high-profile receiver in George Pickens.
Most likely NFL comparison: DeVante Parker
DeVante Parker isn’t a player who is often talked about, but it’s not like the former first-round pick has had a bad NFL career. In his second season back in 2014, Parker earned 744 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on a struggling Dolphins offense. In 2019, Parker recorded 72 receptions for 1,202 yards and 9 touchdowns.
While his production as a whole has been underwhelming for a former first-round draft choice, he was doing all of this despite not ever having the benefit of great quarterback play. Parker doesn’t offer tons of shiftiness or explosion after the catch, but he is smooth for a big wide receiver (6’3”, 209 lbs.) and he excels at the catch point.
Though I would bet on George Pickens having the better career path of the two (mainly because of the great organization he wound up with) I do think that he and DeVante Parker have remarkably similar size, athletic traits, and skillsets. This is my most likely NFL player comparison for Pickens in the NFL.
It will be interesting to see if the Steelers second-round pick can reach his upside at the next level. Pickens has dealt with injuries and suspensions, so I do think the floor is lower than most fans assume, but if he can stay healthy and clean off the field, there’s no reason why he can’t be a DeVante Parker-level player or higher in the NFL.