Has Steelers’ WR George Pickens been the team’s savior, or the downfall of the intangibles?
The Pittsburgh Steelers struck gold in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft when they took a shot on an undersized receiver named Antonio Brown out of Central Michigan. Their roster had an aging star in Hines Ward, who was on the tail end of a decade of greatness, and defined what it meant to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. Blue collared, hard working, world champion.
After a Super Bowl win in 2009 that was won with one of the most incredible catches in NFL history by receiver Santonio Holmes- the Steelers were a prime example of the importance of the wide receiver position. This led to their selection of Antonio Brown who picked up right where Ward left off with seven 1,000 yard seasons in his first nine years in the league. The Steelers forgot what it was like to live without a Hall of Fame caliber player manning the WR1 position. It had been two decades of dominance that the Steelers have been yearning for since the day Antonio Brown left in 2018.
There have been many players brought in to attempt to replace this production. Early draft picks like James Washington, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool have found success, but not to the extent the Steelers have been looking for. The most recent man crowned as the next great receiver for this franchise was 2022 second round pick George Pickens. From highlight reel grabs to massive games with stat lines that make your jaw drop, he has shown the early potential to be that guy.
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He has been hindered by a quarterback carousel riddled in mediocrity. Catching passes from Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph surely is not a situation that allows Pickens to reach his full potential. There were weeks when the Steelers’ game plans and play calls looked as if he was the face of this franchise, though this was paired with times where it was hard to tell he was even on the field. Pickens’ frustration with offensive coordinator and play caller Matt Canada was evident when had multiple sideline lash outs due to his usage in the game plan. With Pickens’ possible good reasons for these actions, we saw Canada fired halfway through this past season.
The lack of continuity and talent surrounding him has held him back to the point where fans have questioned if he really is that guy. When taking a deeper look, we see the fact that Pickens followed up his solid 800 yard, 4 touchdown rookie year with a more explosive 1,140 yard, 5 touchdown season. His uptick in production is seen in the box score as he increased his totals in receptions, targets, yards, yards per catch, and touchdowns in his sophomore season. Even with this improvement, the frustration among anyone watching is higher than ever.
In 2023, Pickens had five games with over 100 yards, highlighted by his Week 16 performance that included 195 yards receiving and 2 touchdown grabs in a huge win over their division rival Bengals. A game that was monumental in the Steelers postseason push. He was completely dominant in these games, and it felt like a big play was waiting to happen because of his presence on the field. The frustration with Pickens in 2023 was emphasized in the nine games where he was held under 50 yards and seemingly had no impact whatsoever.
His importance to the franchise’s success is undeniable. In 2023 the Steelers were 5-0 in games where Pickens had over 100 receiving yards, and 3-6 in games where he was held to under 50. This goes to show that when Pickens is playing at his best, the Steelers are a much better team. He is still only 22 years old and knows what it is like to succeed at the highest level.
The Steelers franchise is one of the most storied organizations in all of professional sports and is tied with the Patriots for most Super Bowl titles with six. The team has not found the success that it is used to in recent years and they feel it is time for that to change. They haven’t had a losing season since 2003, yet they have won only three playoff games since the 2010 season. The Steelers have been a consistently “good not great team” that is in need of a boost. With a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith they are hoping for just that.
Smith is tasked with unlocking the play of Kenny Pickett to fulfill his first round billing. It may be Pickett’s last chance as ownership has come out saying they need to see a step forward in his development, and hinted at a quarterback competition with backup Mason Rudolph. If Smith can’t get Pickett to the next level, then the team will spend all of its resources into finding that franchise quarterback that every team covets. Nobody on the team is more desperate for this increase in quarterback play than George Pickens.
Pickens has not quite yet lived up to the hype that has surrounded him after countless viral catches spread across all social media platforms. The kid has the talent, the mindset, and has shown his ceiling. The question is whether he will rise above the people surrounding him and find success consistently, or will he continue to be an annual boom or bust candidate? He has plenty of time to prove himself and Steeler Nation should not be giving up on him quite yet. Hopefully a rejuvenated scheme and a quarterback desperate to prove he belongs will help vault Pickens into Pittsburgh lore, and provide the franchise with another decade of dominance at the wide receiver position.
