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George Pickens

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George Pickens
refer to caption
Pickens at Steelers training camp in 2023
No. 14 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (2001-03-04) March 4, 2001 (age 23)
Hoover, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Hoover
College:Georgia (2019–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 2 / pick: 52
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Receptions:163
Receiving yards:2,699
Receiving touchdowns:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

George Malik Pickens Jr. (born March 4, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life

[edit]

Pickens attended Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama. As a senior, he had 69 receptions for 1,368 yards and 16 touchdowns.[1] He played in the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game.[2] A five star recruit, he originally committed to play college football at Auburn University before flipping his commitment to the University of Georgia.[3][4]

College career

[edit]
Pickens with Georgia in 2021

Pickens earned immediate playing time his freshman year at Georgia in 2019, leading the team in receptions (49), receiving yards (727) and receiving touchdowns (8).[5][6][7]

In the following season Pickens caught 36 passes for 513 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns in an eight-game season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

In the spring of 2021, Pickens tore his ACL causing him to miss most of his junior season.[9] He returned to play in the final four games of the year, catching just five passes, but made a crucial 52-yard reception during the first quarter in Georgia's win over Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game. The catch is what put Georgia in Alabama territory for the first time during the game, setting up a short field goal for the Bulldogs.[10][11] Pickens declared for the 2022 NFL draft following the season.[12]

College statistics

[edit]
Georgia Bulldogs
Year GP Rec Yards TDs
2019 12 49 727 8
2020 8 36 513 6
2021 4 5 107 0
Career 24 90 1,347 14

Professional career

[edit]
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in
(1.91 m) 		195 lb
(88 kg) 		32+3⁄8 in
(0.82 m) 		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)		 4.47 s 1.50 s 2.57 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)
Sources:[13][14]

2022 season

[edit]

Pickens was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.[15]

He made his first professional start in the Steelers season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals where he caught one pass on three targets for three yards as the Steelers won 23-20.[16] In Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, Pickens corralled a one-handed catch while fully extending his body in the air. It was called by some the "Catch of the Year."[17] In Week 4, against the New York Jets, he had six receptions for 102 yards in the 24–20 loss.[18] Pickens scored his first professional touchdown during primetime in Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins when he caught a seven yard pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett. This would be the only touchdown scored by the Steelers in the game as they lost 10-16.[19] In Week 16, Pickens caught the game-winning touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders with less than a minute remaining.[20] He finished the 2022 season with 52 receptions for 801 yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns.[21][22]

2023 season

[edit]
Pickens with the Steelers in 2023

In Week 2 of the 2023 season, Pickens had four receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Browns.[23] In Week 5, against the Ravens, he had six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown in the 17–10 win.[24] In Week 16 against the Bengals, he had four receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns, including a 86-yard reception for a score in the first quarter.[25] In the following game, against the Seahawks, he had seven receptions for 131 yards in the win.[26] He finished his second NFL season with 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games and 16 starts.[27] He finish the season leading the league in yards per reception with 18.1.

Pickens was on the receiving end of controversy throughout the 2023 season. After the Steelers' 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Pickens was criticized for lacking effort on the field. Throughout the previous two games, Pickens only completed three of ten receptions for 21 yards. He followed the criticism by posting on his Instagram story the words "free me" and deleted all posts related to the Steelers.[28] Pickens defended his post by making another post on Instagram explaining that the post was not directed at the Steelers, stating it has "[nothing] to do with football."[29]

During Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts, Pickens was once again criticized for showing a lack of effort throughout the game, most notably not blocking for running back Jaylen Warren on what was a potential touchdown drive near the goal line.[30] Following the game, Pickens responded to the criticism stating he was attempting to avoid injury.

2024 season

[edit]
Pickens in a one-on-one drill with safety Terrell Edmunds during a practice in 2024

Following the 2024 preseason, Pickens was named wide receiver one on the Steelers' depth chart.[31] In his first start of the season during Week 1, he made six catches on seven targets for 85 yards. During Week 2's 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos, Pickens caught a pass from quarterback Justin Fields to pick up 51 yards and move the ball to the Broncos' six yard line, however it was negated by a holding penalty on right tackle Broderick Jones.[32] He would finish the game with two receptions for 29 yards.[33] Pickens would eclipse his first 100 receiving yard game of the season during the team's Week 4 24-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. During the game, he caught seven passes for 113 yards, but failed to score a touchdown. He would also fumble once, causing the Steelers to lose possession of the ball and set up a touchdown drive for the Colts.[34]

In the final moments of the Steelers' 17-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Pickens would get his third and final reception of the game. The Steelers needed to gain significant yardage with no timeouts remaining to put themselves in field goal range to tie the score. Pickens caught the ball around the 25 yard line and stood in place momentarily before throwing a backwards pass to Isaac Seumalo leading to multiple lateral passes being thrown before time expired with a failed lateral from Pat Freiermuth to Mason McCormick to end the game.[35] Pickens finished the game with three catches on seven targets for just 26 yards, his worst game statistically of the season through five weeks.[36] Pickens would rebound during the Steelers' 37-15 victory over the New York Jets on October 20. He caught five passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, making him the team's leading receiver for the game.[37]

On November 10, Pickens caught a 20 yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson in which he leaped in the air and contorted his body backwards while extending his arms backwards over his head in what was named another "catch of the year" for Pickens.[38][39][40]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Legend
Led the league
Bold Career High

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Y/R Lng TD Att Yds Y/A Lng TD Fum Lost
2022 PIT 17 12 52 801 15.4 42 4 3 24 8.0 22 1 0 0
2023 PIT 17 16 63 1,140 18.1 86 5 3 18 6.0 16 0 3 0
2024 PIT 10 9 48 728 15.2 44 2 2 −6 −3.0 4 0 1 1
Career 44 37 163 2,669 16.4 86 11 8 36 4.5 22 1 4 1

Postseason

[edit]
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Y/R Lng TD Att Yds Y/A Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 PIT 1 1 5 50 10.0 19 0 1 15 15.0 15 0 1 1
Career 1 1 5 50 10.0 19 0 1 15 15.0 15 0 1 1

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Weiszer, Marc (August 16, 2019). "George Pickens' 'flair for the dramatic' established before buzzworthy Georgia football moment". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Newman, Logan (October 26, 2018). "Ala. players Will Reichard, George Pickens will take their swag to the Under Armour game". USATodayHSS.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Bean, Josh (February 6, 2019). "5-star Hoover WR George Pickens picks Georgia". AL.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Sudge, Brandon (February 6, 2019). "What the addition of five-star wide receiver George Pickens means for Georgia". Macon.com. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Jackson, Jordan (November 15, 2019). "George Pickens is Potentially UGA's biggest draft bust of all time". Maven. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  6. ^ May, Jed (November 15, 2019). "He was an Auburn commit. Now rising star for Bulldogs, Pickens preps for SEC showdown". Macon.com. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Sudge, Brandon (August 9, 2019). "UGA football: Receiver George Pickens compared to A.J. Green". Macon.com. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "George Pickens 2020 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Scarborough, Alex (March 24, 2021). "Georgia's Pickens injures ACL, to have surgery". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "George Pickens 2021 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  11. ^ Leigh, Savannah (January 10, 2022). "George Pickens reintroduces himself to the Tide with big catch". Dawn of the Dawg. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  12. ^ Austin, Brooks (January 14, 2022). "BREAKING: George Pickens Declares for NFL Draft". SI.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  13. ^ "George Pickens Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  14. ^ "2022 Draft Scout George Pickens, Georgia NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  15. ^ Varley, Teresa (April 29, 2022). "Steelers select George Pickens in the second round". Steelers.com. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Steelers 23-20 Bengals (Sep 11, 2022)". StatMuse. September 11, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  17. ^ Baer, Jack (September 22, 2022). "Steelers rookie George Pickens delivers Odell Beckham-esque Catch of the Year candidate". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  18. ^ "New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 2nd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Pryor, Brooke (October 24, 2022). "George Pickens hauls in first NFL touchdown to cut Dolphins' lead". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  20. ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 24th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  21. ^ "George Pickens 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "2022 Pittsburgh Steelers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  23. ^ "Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 18th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  24. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 8th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  25. ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 23rd, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  26. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks - December 31st, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  27. ^ "George Pickens 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  28. ^ "Steeler Nation: Pittsburgh Steelers News, Rumors, & More".
  29. ^ "Steeler Nation: Pittsburgh Steelers News, Rumors, & More".
  30. ^ Battifarano, Andrew (December 20, 2023). "George Pickens reveals he made no effort to set block because he 'didn't want to get injured'". New York Post. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  31. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL Depth Chart". ESPN. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  32. ^ Rutter, Joe (September 17, 2024). "Broderick Jones benched after three penalties in six-play span". MonValley Independent. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  33. ^ "Steelers 13-6 Broncos (Sep 15, 2024) Box Score". StatMuse. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  34. ^ "Colts 27-24 Steelers (Sep 29, 2024) Box Score". StatMuse. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  35. ^ "Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Game Highlights NFL 2024 Season Week 5". YouTube. October 7, 2024. Event occurs at 14:45.
  36. ^ "Cowboys 20-17 Steelers (Oct 6, 2024) Play-by-Play". ESPN. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  37. ^ "Steelers 37-15 Jets (Oct 20, 2024) Box Score". StatMuse. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  38. ^ Punturi, Jacob (November 10, 2024). "Steelers WR George Pickens Makes Insane Catch vs. Commanders". Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  39. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Commanders". YouTube. March 6, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  40. ^ Popejoy, Curt (November 10, 2024). "Watch George Pickens haul in another ridiculous touchdown pass". Steelers Wire. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
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