Kenny Pickett says George Pickens has improved his route running

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is excited about the development of receiver George Pickens as the duo enters their second season in the NFL together.

Speaking with the media after practice Tuesday, the first with pads on, Pickett praised Pickens for taking strides in his route running.

“He’s definitely worked on his routes,” Pickett said, via Steelers.com. “The full route tree he has, the crispness with his routes. He’s locked in mentally. He’s doing a good job learning the system and playing different spots, so we can move him around more, which is great.”

In 17 games during his rookie campaign, Pickens hauled in 52 receptions for 801 yards — an average of 15.4 yards per reception to lead all Steelers pass-catchers. The former Georgia standout said this past Friday he expects the offense to be more vertical in 2023, a welcome change from what was a mostly stagnant offense last season.

With Pickett under center in 2022 (12 starts), the Steelers ranked 32nd in the NFL in passing yards per attempt. Additionally, Pickett sat 32nd in the league in passer rating and dead last in touchdown-to-interception ratio (among 33 qualified quarterbacks).

“That’s more of an explosive hint,” Pickens said. “Like, we’re gonna probably take more shots this year. Try to mix it up a little bit.”

Kenny Pickett sees a high ceiling for George Pickens

The Steelers’ promising young offensive core is highlighted by three players — Pickett, Pickens and running back Najee Harris. Pickett and Pickens, however, have the potential to become one of the league’s next top duos in the coming seasons if they stay together.

“George could be a top guys in the league, no doubt,” Pickett recently said on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast. “There are probably three catches in practice that stick out to me that were better than ones everyone saw during the season. His natural ability — his floor is so high based on his natural ability.

“Now, we’ve put together a nice route package for him. He continues to work on his game and we work on our continuity together. I’m really excited to play with him again heading into year two.”