Prospect Bio

George Pickens began his path to the NFL at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama. As a senior, he had 69 receptions for 1,368 yards and 16 touchdowns. He received first-team All-USA and All-Alabama honors and was the MVP of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. He was a five-star recruit and the No.1 ranked prospect in the state of Alabama. After originally committing to Auburn he ultimately opted for Georgia. Pickens led the Bulldogs in receiving yards (727) and touchdowns (8) as a freshman while hauling in 49 passes. He finished the year strong with a 12-catch, 175-yard performance in the team’s Sugar Bowl win over Baylor. It was enough to earn him Freshman All-SEC honors. He also shared the Offensive Newcomer of the Year award. While it was a great first season, it didn’t come without its obstacles. Pickens was suspended by the program for the first half of the game against Georgia Tech due to a violation of team rules. Then he he was ejected for throwing punches in that same game.

The focus was back to football in 2020. Playing in eight games, Pickens brought in 36 receptions for 513 yards and six touchdowns. He was named second-team All-SEC. A spring practice ACL injury forced him to miss almost the entirety of the 2021 season. He returned for the regular season finale and the postseason, catching five passes for 107 yards in four games.

College Stats

George Pickens College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference.com

Positives

+18.5 Breakout Age 

+Led his team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns as a true freshman 

+Catch radius

+Agility

+Can run the entire route tree

+Good hands

+Wins in contested catch situations 

+Early Declare

Negatives

-ACL injury

-Thin frame

-Only 1,285 receiving yards in three seasons

-4.5 receptions per game in 2020

-1.7 yards per team pass attempt in 2020 

-0 career rush attempts or kick/punt returns

Highlight Reel

Comparable Player: Josh Reynolds

NFL Draft Projection: Second Round

Bottom Line:

George Pickens’ career got off to a phenomenal start. He led the Bulldogs in receiving yards and touchdowns as a true freshman at age 18. But after an underwhelming 2020 season and a lost 2021 season due to injury, a lot of questions remain as he makes the transition to the NFL. Still, we have to weigh the early production quite heavily especially considering he is likely to find second round NFL draft capital. Pickens will be back to full health for his rookie campaign. He’ll likely find a starting role as a perimeter wide receiver where he can take advantage of his size, catch radius, and ability to win in contested situations. While there are certainly a few concerns on his profile, he’ll make a good pick in round two of our upcoming dynasty rookie drafts.

Post Draft Analysis:

George Pickens came off the board at 52 to the Steelers. It was a little later than expected, but the landing spot is solid. The Steelers were in need of a No.3 wide receiver with the offseason departures of Juju Smith-Schuster and James Washington. Pickens can step in and be that guy. Pittsburgh is notorious for developing wide receiver talent and Pickens has about as high a ceiling as any of the wideouts in the class. He could develop into the WR2 alongside Diontae Johnson and ahead of Chase Claypool. He will be paired with first round quarterback Kenny Pickett for years to come. He’s one of the better second round considerations in rookie drafts.

Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN

Yards Per-Formance Prospect Grade