The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the rebuilding phase, but under Mike Tomlin the expectation is to still be competitive. Tomlin has never had a losing season as head coach of the Steelers, and even as they transition to a young core, they don’t seem particularly interested in bottoming out for a top pick.
This season they’ll start Kenny Pickett in his first full season as starter, after he took over for Mitch Trubisky early in the season as a rookie. Pickett had his ups and downs, but the Steelers will hope to see him show a bit more consistency after a full offseason as the starter. In order to do that, he’ll need some help from his receivers on the outside, with Allen Robinson coming in to add some depth to that group alongside Diontae Johnson and fellow second-year man George Pickens. It’s Pickens who has the most upside of that group, as he flashed an ability to be a big play threat at times in his rookie year, making some incredible catches.
On Tuesday, Pickens showed his full array of talents in one of the most impressive catches we’ll see all camp (and, really, all season). Steelers fan @Mazursky8895 captured the full possession and posted it to Twitter, as Pickens somehow gets out of the straight jacket Joey Porter Jr. had him in for most of the route and makes the insane catch over him.
INSSSSSSAAAANNNNNNNE!!!!
The JPJ and Pickens competition heating UPPPP, Pickens does what Pickens does though and makes the craziest catch I’ve ever seen in person wow man! pic.twitter.com/XKTfOUYScK
— Baku 🐧 (@Mazursky8895) August 1, 2023
The best part is Porter Jr. just standing there in disbelief after, with Pickens giving him a good-hearted taunt and handing him the football before celebrating with the rest of the offense. It’s a great rep by Porter Jr. aside from the result, and there’s just nothing he could really do about this. Pickens has stated he thinks he’s the best receiver in football, and when you see him make plays like this it’s hard to question his abilities. The question is more whether he can be a consistent threat, rather than a guy who pops on a play here and there, but Steelers fans have plenty of reason to be excited about Pickens in his second year, provided Kenny Pickett can deliver him the ball.
