Read nearly any scouting report on George Pickens coming out of Georgia in 2022, and character issues are a common theme. The Pittsburgh Steelers were well aware of his lack of maturity during the scouting process, and it was one of the reasons (the other being injury concerns) that there were 10 other receivers taken off the board as he fell into their lap at No. 52.
In the NFL, talent trumps just about anything. To pass on a talent like Pickens would’ve been foolish, especially considering their need after trading Chase Claypool to Chicago.
It wasn’t long, though, until Pickens’ name became synonymous with diva — at least momentarily. Talking heads like Skip Bayless were already comparing him to Antonio Brown. But his well-publicized outburst in Atlanta last December flamed out quickly after the incident was chalked up to just a guy with a competitive fire for winning.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens
“Throw me the ball man… throw me the f*c%ing ball”
1 catch.. 2 targets for Pickens in 3+ quarters vs Falcons pic.twitter.com/o8tUKSWfwe
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) December 4, 2022
Character concerns appeared to be a thing of the past for Pickens. That is until recently. Taunting penalties in consecutive weeks, both of which the NFL came down on him for, can’t be chalked up to a thirst for winning. If Pickens continues to see fewer targets, especially now with Diontae Johnson back in the mix, things could get tense. As they say, once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. The Steelers had better hope it doesn’t become a pattern.
Publicly, Mike Tomlin states he’d rather say ‘Whoa than sic ’em,” but behind the scenes, he’d better nip the situation in the bud before it gets out of hand.
