Player: George Pickens
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: 52nd (2nd Round)
On the latest episode of the Razzball Fantasy Football Podcast Bobby LaMarco is joined once again by The Huddle Report’s #1 Mock Drafter Matthew Jones from the Draft Examiner. Matthew jumps on the podcast to talk about the Steelers’ new WR George Pickens and his fit in Pittsburgh. To hear our full analysis, check out the YouTube video included with this article. And see where Pickens ranks on our new consensus rookie rankings for 2022 fantasy football dynasty leagues and 2022 fantasy football ADP pages!
In the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL draft, Pickens was drafted after playing limited games last season after suffering an ACL injury in March 2021. Pickens does offer a tantalizing combination of size and speed standing in at 6’3 while running a 4.47. Pickens’ college production doesn’t necessarily jump off the page as neither his college dominator nor college target share topped the 30th percentile. Where many draftniks will point to project his potential in the NFL is his breakout age. Pickens had a strong freshman season going for 49-727-8 which led to his 97th percentile breakout age according to playerprofiler.com.
Now heading to Pittsburgh, Pickens will look to add to the long line of great drafted Steelers WRs. Since Mike Tomlin took over as head coach in 2007, the Steelers have drafted 10 WRs on either day 1 or day 2. Of those 10 WRs, 5 produced a top 24 WR season at some point in their careers. This doesn’t sound great but ask the Patriots if that is a good hit rate. However, of those 10 WRs, only 3 produced fantasy-relevant seasons in their rookie years. Those WRs included Diontae Johnson (WR40), Juju Smith-Schuster (WR22), and Mike Wallace (WR35). Overall, with Johnson, Chase Claypool, Pat Freiermuth, and Najee Harris competing for targets, Pickens could have an uphill battle for relevance in 2022.
Currently, Pickens’ best ball ADP sits at 157th overall. This puts him slightly ahead of notable veteran WRs Corey Davis, Jamison Crowder, and Marvin Jones. Due to his competition for targets and uncertain QB play this upcoming season, it could be wise to fade him at that cost. On the flip side, according to our consensus dynasty rookie rankings on Razzball.com, Pickens sits at the 11th pick. This draft cost puts him right ahead of WR David Bell and RBs James Cook and Isaiah Spiller. With the long-term question marks at QB, we would recommend taking the shot on a player like Bell who is tied to Deshaun Watson. However, with the Steelers’ success overall with WRs, Pickens isn’t a terrible pick at his current dynasty ADP. To hear our full analysis, check out the YouTube video above or listen to the podcast audio below.
Sources: Razzball, Player Profiler, RotoHeat, Fantasy Pros, Pro Football Reference, Pro Football Focus, Spotrac.com, Overthecap.com, Ourlads, Bestball 10s, Underdog Fantasy, and NFC
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