There was no secret regarding George Pickens when the 2022 NFL Draft rolled around. He was immensely talented and incredibly immature. The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been afraid to draft such receivers. Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown are two such examples.
I was therefore not surprised to see Pickens put his immaturity on display on social media no less. After a frustrating Thursday night performance – more on that below – he “unfollowed” the Steelers and Head Coach Mike Tomlin and posted a somewhat cryptic message. Within 36 hours Pickens appeared back on social media claiming everyone has lost their sense of humor.
Is anyone really surprised by this?? Pickens often acts like the rich kid who has every possible toy and video game yet still whines and makes everyone else miserable during his fits. This is a guy who once started throwing hands with an opponent in college in the end zone leading to his ejection. Side note: I’ll never understand punching a guy who is wearing a helmet.
Pickens also once doused an opponent on the sideline with a water bottle as the play spilled (see what I did there) into the Georgia bench. We are barely halfway into his second season and he’s already picked up personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties that were just as stupid as his water bottle incident.
While I don’t care for Pickens’ behavior whether on or off the field, the young man’s frustration level is extremely understandable. He finished the win over Tennessee with two receptions and minus one yard receiving. You read that correctly, MINUS one yard. He also had a catch called back due to an offensive penalty and of course he had a touchdown negated when he failed to get a second foot down in the end zone. That was a strange play simply because we’ve seen him toe-tap the sidelines many times in his young career with ease.
In my opinion, Matt Canada and Mike Tomlin are failing the young receiver. He runs back-shoulder fades, go routes and slants. Does he need to get better at the entire route tree? Absolutely, no argument there but even when he’s seeing a safety rolled over the top of him Canada has to do better at creating opportunities for Pickens. He’s a young man filled with talent and he’s a wide receiver. The position demands a lot of discipline because you may be on the field for 60-70 plays yet you may only have a handful of chances to truly impact the game. That’s tough for any player let alone a young wide receiver who already has the diva qualities most superstar wideouts possess.
I’m not defending Pickens’ social media behavior or his on-field antics in any way. I’m a team-first guy and always have been. What I’m pointing out is that the Steelers knew exactly what they were getting yet they still haven’t figured out how to use him. Maybe the immaturity will depart once the production picks up.
