New Year, New Goals: 5 Steelers Players to Watch in 2024

George Pickens needs to get his head on straight for Steelers

While the previous two names are ones I am hoping for some sustained success, George Pickens is a player who has all of the talent in the world but seems to be regressing as a person. His talent isn’t in question and has been on display since his rookie season. His hands and body control are unnatural and it allows him to make some highlight reel catches.

The issue has quickly become his attitude. To be fair, the Steelers offense has been one of the league's worst over the past few seasons. The passing game has been inhibited by the likes of Matt Canada calling plays and Kenny Pickett throwing passes. Pickens is a supreme talent, but he is proving to be an afterthought in a lackluster scheme.

Now it is affecting his mental space. Pickens has started to make some offhand comments that don’t sound good for the team. Some of his routes have gotten sloppy, and his blocking, something he excelled at in Georgia, has been putrid. All you need to do is look at his poor attempt against the Colts.

Worse yet, Pickens clearly doesn’t seem to care off the field how he appears right now. His comments are lazy and uninspired, and he doesn’t seem to be concerned with how he is viewed by the fans. He almost seems annoyed that people are upset with his actions.

Receivers are notoriously a position filled with divas, but Pickens acting like this despite still being on a rookie deal is concerning. At this point, I’m not sure he will stick around on the roster through the next season. If he does though, all eyes will be on him to see if he can get his head screwed on straight.