Steelers offensive weapon doesn't appreciate his lack of notoriety
By all accounts, Pittsburgh Steelers second-year wide receiver George Pickens is going to be a presence for years to come. Fresh off a rookie campaign that saw him total over 800 receiving yards and four scores, the sophomore has his eyes set on "breaking out" in 2023. And while he's locked in on his goals […]
By all accounts, Pittsburgh Steelers second-year wide receiver George Pickens is going to be a presence for years to come.
Fresh off a rookie campaign that saw him total over 800 receiving yards and four scores, the sophomore has his eyes set on "breaking out" in 2023.
And while he's locked in on his goals for the fall, he couldn't help but display his feelings about his lack of consideration last season:
Bo Marchionte of College2Pro recently interviewed some of the Steelers' 2022 draft class to see how their rookie year went and ask about their goals for the upcoming season. Here's what George Pickens had to say:
“Year two goals are Pro Bowl and I feel like last year I feel like I got snubbed. Cause there wasn’t a lot of guys in there at the Pro Bowl that excited me. Then the Super Bowl. The two bowls. A lot of RAC, run after catch. Two bowls for sure.”
No need to mince words there. Pickens obviously feels he didn't gain the respect from his NFL peers and fans that he deserved, as the Pro Bowl is comprised of three sections of voters:
Fans
Coaches
Players
Given the lack of primetime games and re-loading year that was the Steelers' 2022 season, it's feasible that fans didn't gain the exposure requisite of voting for Pickens. But his comments that the others on the list "didn't excite" him, well that's a whole other can of worms. The four AFC receivers named to the Pro Bowl as starters were:
- Keenan Allen
- Tyreek Hill
- Ja'Marr Chase
- Stefon Diggs
Now as great as I think Pickens can be, he is not yet amongst the elite category, something at least three of those four are in my opinion, with Keenan Allen as the only questionable decision.
So maybe that's who "didn't excite" him but regardless, the second-year pro is aiming high as he also mentioned a Super Bowl in his aspirations. In this case, I think Steelers fans would agree with Pickens that two bowls are better than one.
Featured image via: © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
