George Pickens Tabbed Steelers Most Underappreciated Player
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens thought he was a Pro Bowl snub snub last year. It was the second year in a row that Pickens felt like he got snubbed.
Pickens posted an Instagram story with the caption “F the prow bowl” after the list was revealed in January. Following the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round, he would expand upon those thoughts even more.
“That’s what I said today, the refs and politics. The Pro Bowl, the stats show it’s just politics. There’s going to come a time where people are going to start watching the games and knowing that it’s political over everything — who was on the team, what type of players the team has — it’s for sure political.”
Lorenzo Reyna of Pro Football Network also thinks Pickens doesn’t get enough credit. He tabbed Pickens as the most underappreciated player on the Steelers.
“Despite playing with multiple QBs, Pickens still surpassed 1,000 yards for Pittsburgh in 2023. That production also came amid an offensive coordinator change. More astonishing is that his average yards per catch skyrocketed to 18.1 in ’23,” Reyna wrote.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report thinks Pickens is primed to make an All-Pro leap in 2024. Pickens caught 52 passes for 801 yards and four scores in his rookie season in 2022. Last season, he elevated his game with 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns.
With Russell Wilson/Justin Fields now at quarterback coupled with Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator, this could be the year that Pickens puts the league on notice.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com believes Pickens is a candidate to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record in 2024. Talk about high expectations.
Brooks notes that Pickens has averaged nearly 17 yards per catch for his career, including a league-leading 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 with a revolving door at quarterback.
“With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields potentially being significant upgrades over their predecessors, the Steelers’ top playmaker could see his numbers spike as the focal point of a passing game committed to pushing the ball down the field,” Brooks wrote.
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