In 2022, Pittsburgh Steelers George Pickens burst onto the scene and immediately put the rest of the league on notice as to just how talented he is. The NFL put out the 100 best catches of the 2022 season, and Pickens had five of them. But according to the NFL blog The 33rd Team, Pickens isn’t among their seven options as to which receiver from the 2022 draft class will have the best second year.
Pickens and the rest of the Steelers offense pushed through a dreadful first half of the year. But once the bye week hit and the offense started to get on track, Pickens reaped those benefits as well. However, Pittsburgh found themselves running the ball much more so targets weren’t as high as you might expect from a player as dynamic as Pickens.
For the season, Pickens had 52 receptions for 801 yards and four receiving touchdowns. Maybe not as impressive as some of the guys in the tweet below but if you think Pickens isn’t poised to blow up in 2023, you haven’t been paying attention.
Who's having the best sophomore season? 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tqXOn6nqfA
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) February 23, 2023