Praise of George Pickens puts pressure on Kenny Pickett

George Pickens has arrived. Where's Kenny Pickett?

Pickens, Pittsburgh's second-round pick (52nd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, is receiving a ton of praise ahead of his sophomore season. ESPN analyst said he's "much more talented" than Justin Jefferson, the consensus best receiver in football. 

Teammate Patrick Peterson echoed Clark's comments late Wednesday.

"[I]f the ball is coming near him, he finds a way to come down with the catch," said Peterson.

Pickens made a highlight-reel catch earlier in training camp and scored a 33-yard touchdown on his only target in Week 1 of the preseason.

While he receives a comparison to the best receiver in football, Pickett, his fellow 2022 draft class member, isn't getting the same kind of recognition.

At least not yet.

Per TribLive's Mark Madden, ex-linebacker Ryan Shazier is hopeful that Pickett is the real deal.

"I think Kenny is going to have a breakout season," Shazier said, noting he believes he'll experience a similar career trajectory to quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes.

Jackson completed 58.2 percent of his attempts as a rookie before his MVP season in 2019 when he improved his completion percentage to 66.1 percent and led the league in passing touchdowns (36). 

Burrow threw touchdowns on 3.2 percent of his attempts as a rookie in 2020. In Year 2, he increased his touchdown rate to 6.5 percent en route to a 34-touchdown season. He also led the league in completion percentage (70.4 percent) as the Bengals reached the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988.

Mahomes only had one start as a rookie in 2017 but won MVP the following year and has hosted the AFC Championship Game every season since taking over as the starter in Kansas City full-time.

Like those three, Pickett put up pedestrian numbers as a rookie. He had more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (seven) while posting a slightly below-average passer rating (76.7).

Madden pointed out the reasons why, despite a mediocre rookie season, Steelers fans are enamored with their second-year quarterback.

"His intangibles often get praised, and right so," wrote Madden. He noted several, including, "grit, moxie, etc., all those inexactitudes — Pickett's got 'em. The most significant being leadership."

Pickett also played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and led the Panthers to an 11-2 record and Peach Bowl berth in 2021, which undoubtedly endeared him to locals.

But don't expect the honeymoon phase to last much longer. As Madden points out, "More tangibles have got to show up, and more frequently." 

Those fantastic recent second-year seasons from the game's top quarterbacks do him no favors. He'll be expected to make a similar leap.

In a stacked AFC, it's going to be difficult for the Steelers to reach the playoffs, even with an improved Pickett.

Madden correctly suggested the rest of the conference's best quarterbacks — a group that includes Mahomes, Burrow, Jackson, and also Justin Herbert, Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence — aren't finished products, meaning Pickett will have to take enormous strides to match them.

He has a true No. 1 wide receiver in Pickens to prove he belongs. Pickett needs to take advantage of his good fortune to keep the Steelers from looking for his replacement.