National Football League

Can Steelers rookie George Pickens make immediate impact?

Updated Feb. 16, 2023 3:51 p.m. ET

Rookie wide receiver George Pickens has captivated a lot of attention for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh kicked off its preseason Saturday night with a 32-25 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Although quarterback Kenny Pickett's NFL debut and game-winning drive stole the show, Pickens had quite the showing himself.

Pickens finished with three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown, and the score was one of the better catches of the preseason to date, as Pickens reeled in a 26-yard pass from Mason Rudolph in the back corner of the end zone.

Pickens was the highest-graded offensive rookie from Saturday's preseason games, Pro Football Focus reported.

Pittsburgh selected Pickens with the No. 52 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia. The Steelers' draft haul also included Pittsburgh's Pickett (No. 20) and Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal (No. 84).

Pickens had a rollercoaster run at Georgia. Across his freshman and sophomore seasons (2019-20), he averaged 620 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns on 42.5 receptions per season (14.5 yards per reception).

Pickens tore his ACL the ensuing offseason and didn't suit up for Georgia again until Nov. 2021. Although Pickens only had five receptions that college football season, he caught a 52-yard pass for Georgia in the National Championship Game victory over Alabama.

Pittsburgh has primarily derived its offensive core through the draft. Wide receivers Diontae Johnson — who recently signed a two-year, $36.7 million extension — and Chase Claypool have both emerged as stable pass-catchers after the Steelers nabbed them in the draft. Last offseason, they drafted running back Najee Harris (No. 24 pick) and tight end Pat Freiermuth (No. 55 pick), who both start.

Could Pickens be Pittsburgh's next homegrown stud receiver?

The Steelers need someone to step up in the wake of JuJu Smith-Schuster's departure through free agency.

They finished last season in the back half of the NFL in offense in what was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's swan song. Pittsburgh finished the regular season with 222.2 passing yards per game (15th in the NFL), 23 passing touchdowns (tied for 16th), 11 interceptions (tied for seventh fewest), 9.5 yards per completion (last) and an 85.3 passer rating (24th).

In a scenario in which either free-agent signee Mitchell Trubisky or Pickett are under center, the mobility of both QBs should allow the Steelers to extend more plays. Pickens showcased the ability to be a viable downfield option for a well-balanced Georgia offense.

With Johnson and Claypool attracting attention on the outside and Freiermuth attracting attention in the middle of the field, minimal eyeballs will be on Pickens in the passing game.

Can he thrive as a tertiary source of offense? One of his QBs certainly thinks so.

"George has shown great spatial awareness, the ability to get feet down, make those contested catches, all camp," Rudolph said after Saturday's game. "So I wasn’t surprised."