NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers Select a WR in 2nd Round

A premier prospect at the receiver position, Pickens may have fallen for valid reasons, but are the Steelers the perfect fit? More Below

Pickens had the potential to be the first receiver of the board coming into 2022. An ACL injury sidelined him for much of the year and forced teams to turn on the tape of previous years which was outstanding. 

The talent has always been there between his size, pure speed, hands, and physical play style. Off the field concerns combined with injury are the reason for his falling, but the culture in place in Pittsuburgh may be just what Pickens needs. 

The Steelers organization is one of the most trusted in the NFL with a head coach and from the office that has dealt with and knows how to handle strong personalities. So if they can groom him off the field and let his talent display on it, look for this pick to be a home run. 

The selection comes just a week after Pickens was a passenger in a car crash in which he was cited for not wearing a seat belt, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported. Pickens left with scrapes, but was OK despite his head hitting on the windshield.

"With the draft you never know," said Pickens. "I am just glad to be a Steeler. I knew it was a possibility. But you never know. It's an honor. Everything right now is an honor to be a Steeler."

"Obviously super excited about George and the draft pick we got," said offensive coordinator Matt Canada. "Coming out of last year, as we began early draft prep, we thought he was the best wideout coming out. He had a tough injury through the spring. Showed great battle to come back. Played late in the year for them. We were able to go to his Pro Day. He was impressive beyond belief at his Pro Day. He showed no signs of any injury or anything in that way. We are fired up about having him on our team.

"We had him coming out really, really high and again are really fired up to have him. His body of work prior to his injury we were very impressed with. I do think his Pro Day, and how explosive he was, that put him in a place where we felt good about getting him. We had him as a high guy coming out prior to his injury and he showed us at his Pro Day he was still that guy. So, we are really happy."

"We see him as both. He's so explosive," said Canada. "You look at what he did in his career down there. He did a lot. They used him in multiple places with the talent that they had. We certainly have a couple of guys we feel good about at wideout. We'll see where he fits and the best place to put him. I think he can do both."

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