Name: George Pickens
Height: 6-3
Weight: 200 lbs
Class: Junior
Position: Wide Receiver
College: Georgia
Hometown: Hoover, Alabama
High School: Hoover High School
Eligibility: 2022 NFL Draft
NFL Comparison: Mike Williams
Personal Info: George Pickens is the starting wide receiver for the Georgia Bulldogs and will be eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickens is from Hoover, Alabama where he attended Hoover High School and was lined up on the outside as wide receiver during his senior season. Pickens is undecided on his major and was a recipient of the AJ Green Family Football Scholarship. Pickens is believed to be the consensus #1 wide receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft.
High School: Pickens didn’t start playing high school football until his senior year at Hoover High School. He finished the season with 69 receptions, 1,368 yards and 16 touchdowns to go with an impressive 13 yards per reception. Pickens was selected to participate in the 2019 Under Armour All American Game that included multiple future NFL prospects. He was originally committed to play for Auburn University to play college football before changing his mind and committing to the Georgia Bulldogs. ESPN.com viewed Pickens as a four-star prospect that ranked as the #54 prospect nationally, #5 prospect in Alabama and the #6 overall at his position in the country.
College: Pickens made an immediate impact for the Georgia Bulldogs right away, he finished his freshman season with 49 receptions, 727 yards and 8 touchdowns while appearing in 12 games. Pickens had 12 catches for 175 yards and a TD in the Sugar Bowl, earning MVP honors and his 12 receptions tied a Georgia bowl record and were the most by a Georgia Bulldog receiver in 17 seasons. His production fell off a bit in 2020 as he finished with only 36 receptions, 513 yards and 6 touchdowns which is likely due to the departure of Jake Fromm who was selected by the Buffalo Bills in 2020 NFL Draft.
Strengths: Pickens brings a lot of length to his game which is key for any receiver looking to make it at the next level. He shows a lot of balance on tape and shows with his well-balanced toe drags near the sideline. Unlike many inexperienced receivers at the college level, Pickens has perfected the toe drag that will be mandatory at the next level. His biggest strength has to be his ability to come down with the 50/50 ball. He uses his height to his advantage and is similar to a basketball player going up for a rebound; Pickens comes down with the football over defensive backs. While running the fly route down the sidelines, Pickens has shown his ability to create separation consistently and make a big time play.
Weaknesses: Pickens needs to sell his routes more, his route running is suspect which could make transitioning to the next level even more challenging. Over the past few seasons, rookie receiver’s success has come from their route running ability compared to gifted talent. Pickens will need to clean up his route running before heading to the next level. He doesn’t have enough burst to his game and needs to work on creating more separation throughout the middle of the field. He relies too much on his size and coming down with the 50/50 contested ball. At the next level, he will learn the hard way going up against lengthy defensive backs who can match up with him on the outside.
Evaluation: George Pickens has all of the traits to become a very reliable #2 receiver for most NFL franchises. He has a lot of flaws to his game but a majority of them can be addressed with the proper coaching at the next level. Pickens will need to be selected by an organization where he isn’t expected to produce right away. He comes across more as a project and is far away from being a complete receiver that can be reliable at the NFL level. I view Pickens as a second round talent and has the ability to slide into the late first round.
Best Fit: New Orleans Saints
Tom Gorski Sports Reporting 