George Pickens could very well be the most talented wide receiver in the NFL right now. But he certainly wouldn’t be judged to be anywhere near the best or most productive. And that’s due to several factors.
From our perspective, we can see two main ones. The first is that he is a very mercurial personality who can be tough to satisfy. However, we would also argue that this first factor is exacerbated by the second: he hasn’t had a quality QB to throw to him in his first three years in the league. So far, he has caught passes from Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitch Trubisky, an over-the-hill Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields.
Say what you will about Dak Prescott, but we can at least say with certainty that he is a better, more proven, more productive, and more talented QB than all of the above. That shouldn’t be a hot take.
And now that Prescott has had time to watch the Pickens tape separate from all the on- and off-field drama that has stemmed from his antics, he sees clearly what he needs to do to get the most out of the young receiver with sky-high potential.
“Having dealt with trades before like with Amari Cooper and Brandin Cooks, I mean. You turn on that guy’s [George Pickens] tape and he’s getting separation, he’s got separation even when he’s not getting the ball at times. And then when he doesn’t have separation he’s making the catches,” Dak said while speaking about his new wide receiver.
“It’s not gonna be hard. For me, it’s about getting that ball near that guy and let him go be George Pickens. Go turn on the tape — he’s a great player.
Dak Prescott on why it’s not going to take long for him and George Pickens to get on the same page and be ready for the season pic.twitter.com/iWyer8essj
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 8, 2025
Through three years in the league, Pickens has had poor-quality quarterback play, as we illustrated. But arguably worse, is that he has not had any consistency at the position. There’s been so much turnover that he was never really able to build proper chemistry with any of Pittsburgh’s signal callers.
Yet, he still put up 800+ yards and 50+ receptions in each of his first three seasons. His best year came in 2023, when he put up career-highs in receptions (63), yards (1,140), TDs (5), and yards per reception (18.1, which led the NFL). He might be the best deep threat in football: his 16.3 yards per reception since entering the league are a full yard more than the next-best guy.
Not to mention, he did that while the offensive coordinator position was just as much of a turnstile. Matt Canada had the job in 2022, but got fired halfway through 2023. Eddie Faulkner stepped in as the interim coordinator for the final two months of the year. Then, in 2024, Arthur Smith came in. That’s essentially three coordinators in three years. Not exactly conducive to development.
Now, Pickens enters a situation in Dallas where he has a reliable and solid QB in Dak Prescott. On top of that, Dallas’ new head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, was their OC for a couple of years prior, so the wideout is also coming into a settled offensive system.
Pickens will also be playing with his best-receiving partner to date in CeeDee Lamb. It’s pick your poison if you’re thinking about doubling up on one of those guys. And that’s exactly what Prescott and Schottenheimer are likely counting on.
