NFL analyst thinks Steelers’ George Pickens can reach landmark that Hall of Famers don’t even touch
Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens has the potential to be one of the best WRs in the league. Coming off a second year that saw him total over 1100 receiving yards and lead the league in average yards per catch, Pickens' potential is still far from untapped. So much so, that former NFL player, scout, […]
Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens has the potential to be one of the best WRs in the league.
Coming off a second year that saw him total over 1100 receiving yards and lead the league in average yards per catch, Pickens' potential is still far from untapped.
So much so, that former NFL player, scout, and current NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks has Pickens on his watchlist to break an NFL record.
Pickens to reach 2k?
Though the Steelers will adhere to a run-centric offensive approach under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Pickens could light up the stat sheet as the big-play specialist on the perimeter. The third-year pro has averaged nearly 17 yards per catch for his career, including a league-leading 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 with a revolving door at quarterback. With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields potentially being significant upgrades over their predecessors, the Steelers’ top playmaker could see his numbers spike as the focal point of a passing game committed to pushing the ball down the field. – Bucky Brooks, NFL Media
To be clear, Pickens ranked fourth on Brooks' list of WRs who could break Calvin Johnson's NFL record holding 1,964 yards, which is obviously extremely close to 2,000 yards.
And while I think Pickens can be one of the best WRs in franchise history, him reaching 2,000 yards is not on my radar, or at least not this year, and here's why.
For one, the number of targets needed to reach that figure is absurd, even if Pickens is a big playmaker.
The year that Calvin Johnson set the record, he caught 122 passes and was targeted an absurd, 204 times.
Pickens went for 63 catches on a little over 100 targets last year.
So to think both of those figures, along with his receiving total would double is rich, mainly because of my next point; the offense.
There's no secret regarding how the Steelers want to play.
They hired a creative offensive coordinator who likes to use multiple tight ends and drafted a running back eighth overall his last year in Atlanta. Pittsburgh then drafted three offensive linemen within their top five picks in April's draft.
So context clues tell you, this team is going to run the ball, meaning Pickens likely wouldn't come close to the amount of targets required even if he wanted to.
