George Pickens listed as breakout candidate by CBS Sports

It’s George Pickens‘ turn. After an impressive rookie season, CBS Sports named the Steelers wide receiver as a breakout candidate for the 2023 season.

If you can take anything to the bank when it comes to NFL matters, it’s that Pittsburgh will produce the next big thing at receiver,” Cody Benjamin wrote. “Pickens is an acrobatic freak whose sideline grabs have as much spunk as his personality, and while his QB figures to spread the ball around — Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth and even Allen Robinson should command key targets — there isn’t anyone with his game-shifting upside on the Steelers offense. No one will be shocked if he ends his second year as the alpha of his position group.”

Pickens was nearly the top dog by the end of last season. The Steelers selected the Georgia standout with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2022 NFL after he suffered a torn ACL in his final season with the Bulldogs. The risky pick has proven to be a steal.

Pickens boasted 52 receptions for 801 yards in his rookie campaign. Moreover, the 6-foot-3 wideout snagged four touchdowns. On a recent episode of “The Rich Eisen Show,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed he expects even more from Pickens this year.

“I just want him to get really comfortable with what can be drudgery,” Tomlin said. “The high-volume things that come with being a professional. The things that you need to do on a routine basis. Making routine plays. 

“We all know he is capable of the spectacular. And I love that about his game, but I want to see him make the routine plays all the time… If he’s gonna be what we need him to be and what he aspires to be, he’s gonna have the spectacular component of his game but he’s gonna do the routine things, as well.”

There’s not much that is routine about Pickens. He plants cornerbacks off the snap, snags missiles with one hand and bounds around defenders like a gazelle. He certainly doesn’t lack confidence.

“The stuff that I do, bro, I feel like I’m the best in the whole world,” Pickens told The Ringer’s Kevin Clark. “I’m big, I’m fast, low 4.4 [speed]. Catch radius is crazy. So every time I get out on the field, I do kind of play angry because I should get the ball on every play if you just look at the size and the frame. If I was a coach, I’d just throw to him every time. But that’s not how the NFL works. So every time I’m out there, that’s why I throw the blocks. I love getting the ball, and when I’m not getting the ball, I play angry so the attention is back on me. I basically draw attention to myself.”

Picken will receive plenty of attention soon. On Sunday, the Steelers will kick off the regular season when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.