George Pickens will be entering his third season in the NFL, as well as his third as a Steeler this coming fall. For the first time in his career, Pickens will get a chance to be the true first option following the departure of Diontae Johnson.
Despite this, analysts are not so optimistic on Pickens' upcoming season.
Anthony DiBona, a writer for Pro Football Network, believes that George Pickens is the most overrated member of the Steelers roster. On a list of his most overrated player from each team, which includes Deshaun Watson for the Browns and Orlando Brown Jr. for the Bengals, DiBona names Pickens as the representative for the Steelers.
"Surprise! Another wide receiver from the 2022 NFL Draft has landed on this list." DiBona writes. "It feels like we’ve been waiting an eternity for George Pickens to have a breakout season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet, he’s only heading into his third NFL season. Following Russell Wilson’s arrival in Pittsburgh, Pickens will be playing with easily the most talented quarterback he’s had throwing to him at the next level. Now, we’ll wait and see if Pickens can finally put it all together on the field and live up to the hype."
This seems like an unfair assessment for a player who has been unable to show his full potential. From competing with Diontae Johnson for the top spot to unsatisfactory quarterback play, Pickens has not had a complete opportunity to prove his worth as an elite NFL receiver.
However, it is entirely possible that Pickens does not live up to the standard placed on him ahead of this season. He could underperform the quite high expectations set for him by both the fans and the team itself.
With the addition of Arthur Smith and therefore a higher emphasis on running the ball, it will be interesting to see how Pickens is utilized throughout the season. That being said, it is way too early to call Pickens overrated without giving him a chance to prove himself.
