Former Georgia star receiver George Pickens may have been the steal of the 2022 NFL draft.
Pickens dropped to the Pittsburgh Steelers as the No. 52 overall pick in the second round after battling an ACL tear in his final year in Athens.
Georgia fans know exactly what a healthy Pickens is capable of, and it should not take long for Steelers fans to catch on as well.
Pickens was named as a starter on Pittsburgh’s initial depth chart that was released this past weekend. There were three starters listed, with Pickens being joined by Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.
NFL training camp is currently in full swing ahead of the new season and Pickens is already making a statement in early practices.
Star Steelers receiver Chase Claypool praised the rookie after seeing him in action over the last week.
“I think he’s going to be the best rookie receiver in the NFL,” Claypool said of Pickens, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, also had high praise for his rookie receiver.
“George is super talented,” Trubisky said. “He just has to keep detailing the offense. He’s getting it down. He’s learning. He’s asking a lot of questions, which is awesome, but he’s out there making plays. I’m getting to the point where I really trust him throwing him the ball. He’s made some great grabs. He’s going to be a great player. He just has to keep working.”
Other notable rookie receivers that Pickens will be compared to this season are Ohio State’s Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints), Alabama’s Jameson Williams (Detroit Lions), USC’s Drake London (Atlanta Falcons), Arkansas’ Treylon Burks (Tennessee Titans) and Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore (Kansas City Chiefs).
