Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers have a clear 2023 breakout candidate

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 2/24/23

The Steelers have a number of young and talented players, but there is a clear favorite to break out in 2023.

That player is WR George Pickens, who showed just how high his ceiling is as a rookie, and he knows his best is yet to come.

"I will probably come back even harder, because I want to show [everyone], open eyes," Pickens said after the season.

The 21-year-old is doing exactly that. He met up with QB Kenny Pickett and a number of other Steelers in Florida to get some offseason work in.

Kenny Pickett to George Pickens in Miami, Florida. (Via @Tonyrazz03 and @TEST_Football) #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/HSgyIwMyo1
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) February 24, 2023

One of the other players training with Pickens is 2021 Pro Bowl WR Diontae Johnson, who had high praise for him.

"You see how [Pickens] played this season. He's going to be a great player. He's a great player right now, so he's going to continue that," Johnson said.

Johnson isn't the only one who sees Pickens' potential. Pickens' 825-yard, five-touchdown season earned a high endorsement from the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year as well.

"I don't know if George Pickens understands just how good he is," LB T.J. Watt said.

It is still unknown how the 2023 Steelers will do against the rest of the NFL, but everyone seems to believe that Pickens will take the league by storm.

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