Steelers WR George Pickens Gets Surprising Praise From Raiders Superstar Davante Adams For Viral Catch In 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of nominees towards the NFL's best plays of all-time: the Immaculate Reception, James Harrison's pick-six in Super Bowl XLIII, Santonio Holmes' game-winning catch from that same game, along with countless other options. The Steelers have so many highlights that a lot of their great plays often get swept under the rug, which is what could be said about George Pickens' spectacular catch against the Cleveland Browns during his rookie year in 2022. 

Pickens had a ton of lore surrounding him when he came into the league in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was known for making acrobatic catches at Georgia during his college career. His college teammates were constantly saying his in-game highlights were nothing compared to what he did in practice. Then, he famously reacted to being drafted by the Steelers by staring at his television with a ski mask on, which quickly went viral. 

In Week 3 of his rookie season, Pickens burst onto the scene with one of the best catches in the NFL in recent years, and superstar Davante Adams was mad it didn't get more love which he discussed it on The Rush With Maxx Crosby while talking about the best catches he has seen.

"One that really slipped between the cracks man that kind of pissed me off was the George Pickens one-hander. People talked about it, but it didn't do what Odell's [Beckham] did, like you know what I mean? It didn't do numbers like that. That s**t was crazy."

Adams was listing the best catches he had seen, and he mentioned Pickens' catch second after talking about Odell Beckham Jr.'s catch on Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. Adams thought the catch made by Pickens was at or near the same level of Beckham Jr.'s, and overall thought it was not talked about enough.

The catch was made during a Thursday Night Football game in Pickens' third regular season game as a professional. Pittsburgh went on to lose the game to Cleveland by a score of 29-17. This catch came while Mitch Trubisky was still the starting quarterback and Kenny Pickett was still the backup to begin his rookie year. Pickens finished the game with three receptions for 39 yards, and it was his first game in the NFL with multiple receptions. 

This catch put Pickens' career on the right track, as the following week he recorded his first 100-yard game against the New York Jets in another loss. He had six catches in the game, and had another six catch game against the Buffalo Bills the following week. Perhaps this catch gave him the confidence he needed, as he finished out his rookie year strong from that point on.

Steelers' George Pickens Has Improved Dramatically Throughout His Career

Pickens has quickly turned into one of the better receivers in the league throughout his first two seasons. He finished his rookie year with 52 receptions for 801 yards and four touchdowns, and he tallied 1,140 yards on 63 receptions along with five touchdowns during his second year in 2023. He did all this while catching passes from either Trubisky, Pickett, or Mason Rudolph.

Pickens now enters his third season, where he is playing with the best quarterback he has ever had the opportunity to at the NFL level and this will be his first season as the Steelers' first option at wide receiver. Russell Wilson may have struggled some with the Denver Broncos, but he still threw for 26 touchdowns in 15 games in 2023 and will be playing in Arthur Smith's quarterback-friendly offense. The Steelers have built their team threw free agency and the draft in such a way that success should be easy to find for Wilson, as he is expected to have a strong running game behind him. 

What do you expect from Pickens in his third year?