NFL Draft Grades 2022: Re-grading the Pittsburgh Steelers draft one year later
By Tommy Jaggi
player. 55. . Wide Receiver. . George Pickens. 2.
Steelers WR George Pickens
Looking back on it, it's remarkable that 10 wide receivers were taken ahead of George Pickens in the 2022 NFL Draft. Last year's class was loaded at the WR position, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were incredibly fortunate to be able to land a player as talented as Pickens with the 52nd overall pick in the second round.
Pickens was electrifying right out of the gate as he turned heads with some remarkable plays at Steelers training camp. This was followed up by a strong preseason and a good start to his rookie year. Despite being targeted just 84 times, Pickens managed 801 receiving yards. His 9.5 yards per target ranked 13th among all NFL receivers.
Despite shaky quarterback play at times from both Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, Steelers QBs had an impressive 109.3 passer rating when targetting Pickens -- making the rookie the most efficient receiver on the team.
Pickens showed us during his rookie season that the sky is the limit of his potential. He still has plenty of work to do as a route-runner and separator, but he seemed to come down with nearly everything thrown his direction and he has WR1 upside written all over him. They knocked this one out of the park.