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George Pickens Reveals Next Step to Take Leap to Superstardom

Originally posted on Steelers Now | By Nick Farabaugh | Last updated 5/26/24

George Pickens is on the road to superstardom in the NFL, but the wide receiver has created some of his obstacles at times. Regardless, Pickens still went off in his Sophomore season and hopes to leap from just star to superstar in 2024. Coming out of his second season, Pickens made leaps in his route running and ability to separate, but those traits still were mired by inconsistency across the board.

Generally, Pickens won either down the field or on dig routes a year ago. This year? He hopes to add a third dimension to his game and become a three-level threat who is dominant off the line of scrimmage and can easily create separation. That means both adding to his game as a route runner and diversifying his route tree in game situations.

“I worked on quicker routes,” Pickens said. “You know, I feel like I’m already dominant at the line, so it’s about getting quicker, really.”

The takeaway, for me, was that George Pickens is trying to crack the notion that he can not separate. Many analytics would disagree that Pickens can not run routes or get open. But the inconsistency shows up on film and in those stats, too. Pickens ranked 19th in the NFL, tied with Tyler Lockett, for ESPN Analytics’ open score in 2023. Overall, Pickens ranked 8th in the entire NFL, earning a solid score in the catch metric. But the open score is one of his weaker points.

Pickens realizes that without Diontae Johnson in the fold, the team has no proven secondary separator. Teams will roll toward Pickens even more than in 2024, especially if they fail to add a secondary piece to help accentuate what Pickens brings.

Pickens is an exciting player with elite hands and contested-catch skills. The athleticism coming out of Georgia says he could grow into an excellent route runner. In his rookie season, he virtually had zero separation skills, but in his second season, he took the step necessary. Pickens is looking to take another step to become a complete wide receiver.

This article first appeared on Steelers Now and was syndicated with permission.

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