Pickett to Pickens.
That will perhaps be the Steelers' long-term pass hookup.
A day after making Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett their first-round draft pick, the Steelers selected Georgia wide receiver George Pickens in the second round, solidifying their receiving corps.
Pickens was the 52nd player taken in this draft.
Pickens, 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, missed most of the 2021 season after tearing his ACL in Georgia's spring practices. He returned to play in the National Champions' final four games, catching five passes for 107 yards.
Pickens was regarded as one of, if not the, top wide receiver in the nation prior to tearing his ACL.
"Super excited about George and the draft pick we got," said offensive coordinator Matt Canada. "Coming out last year as we began the early draft prep, we thought maybe he was the best wideout coming out. He had a tough injury there through the spring. Showed great battle coming back and played late in the year for them."
In 2020, he caught 36 passes in just eight games for 513 yards and six touchdowns. Pickens was timed at 4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, less than a year after the ACL tear.
Pickens has had some bouts with immaturity issues. He was ejected for fighting with a Georgia Tech player as a freshman and also was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in 2020 after spraying water on a Tennessee player while on the sideline.
Last week, he was a passenger in an automobile accident with another Georgia player in which the driver was cited for reckless driving at 4 a.m. in the morning in Athens, Ga. Pickens was not injured in the accident.
"That wasn’t scary at all. It was only 20 miles an hour," Pickens said of the incident. "We weren’t going fast at all, so it wasn’t scary at all."
But the Steelers love his potential upside. In 24 career games, he had 90 catches for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Steelers, who lost JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud from their wide receiver room last season in free agency, were obviously looking for immediate help at the position.
They showed a great amount of interest in Pickens at Georgia's pro day with first-year wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson putting Pickens through a workout.
"I knew it was of course a possibility because there were a few other teams there as well, so with all those people being there at that time of course you’re going to know there is a possibility that one of those teams is going to pick you up, but you never know which one it will be," said Pickens of the Steelers' interest in him.
The Steelers believe Pickens can play on the outside or inside in their offense. Georgia is a run-heavy offense, meaning Pickens is a willing and capable blocker.
And his size matches up well with returning starters Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson.
"We see him as kind of both," Canada said. "He’s so explosive, I mean you look at what he did in his career down there, he did a lot. They used him in multiple places with the talent they had, and we certainly have a couple of guys who we feel really good about at wideout. So, we’ll see where he fits and where the best place to put him is, but I think he can do both."
And the Steelers feel Pickens will be an immediate impact player for them right out of the gate, much the same way he was at Georgia when he set a Georgia freshman receiving record and was the MVP of the Sugar Bowl.
Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns that season -- playing in the SEC.
"We’re really excited to be able to get him at any point in the draft," said Canada. "We were fired up about that, we need him on our team."