Ex-Steelers Exec Rips George Pickens: ‘He’s Not Consistent’

During a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan, former Pittsburgh Steelers executive and Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley had some choice words for Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. While many believe Pickens is on the brink of stardom, Whaley has his doubts.

“He’s not consistent,” Whaley told The Fan Morning Show. “Now, I hope he becomes consistent and I’m sure he’s working well. They are working with him to try to be consistent. But to me, I still have to see him being able to run that full route tree. He is really right now almost a one-trick pony, vertical cutting and vertical breaking routes. That’s it. When have you seen him come with a curl, a comeback, those type of things? That is not his game.”

Whaley is right that Pickens was pretty much a one-trick pony last season, but Matt Canada’s offensive system played a big part in that. To say the least, Canada’s passing game was not very complex. Pickens also didn’t have any stability at the quarterback position.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens during minicamp on June 13, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

The Steelers plan on making Pickens more versatile in his formation alignments this season. He confirmed to reporters at minicamp that he’s playing in the slot more than ever in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s system.

“Yeah. Not more than I ever have. I did at Georgia. But more than I have in this league,” Pickens said about playing in the slot.

Pickens views himself as a complete receiver, so he welcomes lining up wherever.

“I’m a total receiver, I like working in the slot just as much as I like working as an outside receiver,” Pickens said. “It puts me on linebackers, put me on safeties.”

Pickens believes he can be a matchup nightmare on linebackers and safeties in the slot.

“Speed, splitting defenders, that’s the biggest thing in the slot,” Pickens said. “If you got super, super good speed, you can split defenders and it’s going to be easy to score.

“It’s being smarter than linebackers. They got a few keys. They are kind of crash dummies. Just being smarter than them, catching the ball getting down when you are supposed to, catching the ball and scoring when you are supposed to.”

Even with a new OC and quarterback, Whaley doesn’t expect drastic changes from Pickens this season. He expects it will be an up-and-down year for the third-year wide receiver out of Georgia.

“I think he will be a splash-play player,” Whaley said. “I think he’ll have one game where he puts up 130 (yards) and another where he puts up 60. He’ll have another game where he puts up three touchdown and another with three drops.”