George Pickens 2022 NFL Draft Profile
WR1? You’re damn right. As we enter the 2022 NFL Draft, George Pickens remains my top ranked wide receiver. The former Georgia product doesn’t seem to have the same level of hype compared to the rest of the draft community. Let’s check out the Pickens draft profile for why everyone should be more excited about his pro ceiling!
Pickens was a monster recruit coming out of the state of Alabama. It was a bit of an upset that Pickens chose Georgia over the local Crimson Tide. Pickens was a five-star guy and number one overall recruit in his state. Pickens was ranked fourth out of all the wide receivers coming out of high school with Garrett Wilson being one of those names ahead of him.
Honestly, my number one concern for Pickens was the pure speed. The guy is a freak but just how fast is he? Well, 4.47 quiets all of those concerns which is exactly what I wanted to see. Get those Mike Williams comps out of my face. Williams ain’t that fast.
I tend to believe Pickens is the next AJ Green. Obviously a high bar but I think that’s the kind of potential we’re looking at. For what it’s worth, while at Georgia, Pickens attended the University while being on the A.J. Green Family Football Scholarship. They don’t just hand that out to anyone. That’s the kind of guy Pickens is.
Pickens has two red flags we should talk about. Both are kinda stupid but we will talk about them anyway. First, Pickens tore his ACL this past year but somehow made it back onto the field a mere months after it happened. He’s obviously fine now so I’m not sure why it’s a thing.
Two, Pickens has some off the field stuff. All of which seems minor, to me. He got suspended for a half after throwing some punching towards a Georgia Tech defensive back as a freshman. Does anybody care? I don’t. He also got a talking to after squirting a Tennessee guy with a water bottle. Does anybody care? I don’t. Long story short; this is not a Pacman Jones situation. I think we’re good here.
I saw all I needed to see from Pickens as a freshman. That season, Pickens had 49 receptions, 727 receiving yards, and eight scores. While healthy, Pickens led the Dawgs in touchdown receptions in 2019-20. Keep in mind, Pickens is just 21 and has plenty of room to continue to grow. He hasn’t scratched his potential yet.
If you really want to go back and go eggplant mode, turn on the Sugar Bowl game against Baylor. It was the moment everyone should have known what was happening; Denzel Mims blows, George Pickens is awesome… We’re already 1-2 as Mims is predictably failing in the league. Go head, doubt me again. I dare you. This guy has it.
There is a difference between these big body receivers. Some can’t separate and others run like gazelles. Pickens is the latter but also comes with an elite catch radius. He makes plays others can’t. There is also a Plaxico Burress element to his game. In the red area, this guy turns into a MF monster. His hands are just awesome. If he gets a hand on it, it’s his ball. Often times, making catches that seem impossible deep down the field.
Pickens needs to become a better pure route runner, but that will come. The Georgia receiver already has such a knack for getting open. He’s got that Chase ability to have a quarterback throw him a ball in an area and he’s going to win the fight for it. He knows his angles. He’s also a guy that has drawn a lot of penalties because corners don’t know how to cover his ass.
Be very careful about passing on George Pickens. I love him and you should too. Right now, he’s projected to go in the second round that likely wouldn’t have been the case if the guy was healthy this past year. Pickens in that range represents probably the best pure value pick in the entire draft, in my opinion.
Side Note: Hey, Lance Zuerlein. I know you do 800 of these so I get that you just have to get them out but you’re awful at this. Truly pathetic. I will bet you ANYTHING Pickens is better than Josh Reynolds. Anything. Name your price. It’s downright insulting to compare Pickens to Reynolds.
