In my ongoing rookie draft, I just selected George Pickens with the 11th pick of the first round. He was a second-round pick in the NFL Draft last week, and that coupled with his landing spot makes him an interesting rookie. Pittsburgh has a long track record of hitting on wide receivers.
Antonio Brown, who is arguably on a short list behind Tom Brady of the best sixth-round picks in NFL history, is probably their most noteworthy selection, but they've drafted a lot of wide receivers in the second and third round since then, and hit on most of them. So Pickens being selected by Pittsburgh makes him a little more intriguing than he might have been had he been drafted by say the Browns or Jaguars.
Since 2009, when they selected Mike Wallace in the third round, Pittsburgh has made eight wide receivers second- or third-rounders. Four of those players have had top-25 fantasy seasons (PPR) with the Steelers; a fifth (Emmanuel Sanders) had multiple top-25 seasons after leaving Pittsburgh. Markus Wheaton had a top-45 season, while James Washington, now in Dallas, could potentially still have one in his future.
Only Sammie Coates, drafted in the second back in 2015, is a clear bust. Table below shows all the seasons in Pittsburgh from those eight wide receivers, sorted by PPR rank.
| STEELERS 2ND- AND 3RD-ROUND WIDEOUTS, 2009-PRESENT | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Rd | Season | Player | Tgt | No | Yds | TD | Rk |
| 2019 | 3 | 2021 | Diontae Johnson | 169 | 107 | 1161 | 8 | 8 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2018 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 166 | 111 | 1426 | 7 | 8 |
| 2009 | 3 | 2011 | Mike Wallace | 114 | 72 | 1193 | 8 | 9 |
| 2009 | 3 | 2010 | Mike Wallace | 98 | 60 | 1257 | 10 | 9 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2020 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 128 | 97 | 831 | 9 | 16 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2017 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 79 | 58 | 917 | 7 | 20 |
| 2019 | 3 | 2020 | Diontae Johnson | 144 | 88 | 923 | 7 | 21 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2020 | Chase Claypool | 109 | 62 | 873 | 9 | 23 |
| 2009 | 3 | 2012 | Mike Wallace | 119 | 64 | 836 | 8 | 24 |
| 2010 | 3 | 2013 | Emmanuel Sanders | 113 | 67 | 740 | 6 | 32 |
| 2009 | 3 | 2009 | Mike Wallace | 72 | 39 | 756 | 6 | 36 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2021 | Chase Claypool | 105 | 59 | 860 | 2 | 38 |
| 2019 | 3 | 2019 | Diontae Johnson | 92 | 59 | 680 | 5 | 39 |
| 2013 | 3 | 2015 | Markus Wheaton | 79 | 44 | 749 | 5 | 45 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2019 | James Washington | 80 | 44 | 735 | 3 | 52 |
| 2013 | 3 | 2014 | Markus Wheaton | 86 | 53 | 644 | 2 | 59 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2019 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 70 | 42 | 552 | 3 | 63 |
| 2010 | 3 | 2012 | Emmanuel Sanders | 75 | 44 | 626 | 1 | 66 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2020 | James Washington | 56 | 30 | 392 | 5 | 77 |
| 2010 | 3 | 2010 | Emmanuel Sanders | 50 | 28 | 376 | 2 | 87 |
| 2015 | 3 | 2016 | Sammie Coates | 49 | 21 | 435 | 2 | 92 |
| 2010 | 3 | 2011 | Emmanuel Sanders | 43 | 22 | 288 | 2 | 99 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2021 | James Washington | 44 | 24 | 285 | 2 | 111 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2018 | James Washington | 38 | 16 | 217 | 1 | 125 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2021 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 28 | 15 | 129 | 0 | 133 |
| 2013 | 3 | 2016 | Markus Wheaton | 9 | 4 | 51 | 1 | 148 |
| 2013 | 3 | 2013 | Markus Wheaton | 13 | 6 | 64 | 0 | 156 |
| 2015 | 3 | 2015 | Sammie Coates | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 190 |
A year ago, Pickens might have been a first-round selection in the draft. But the Georgia wideout tore his ACL in a preseason workout, and missed most of the ensuing season. He appeared only briefly in four games, catching 5 passes. But he was healthy enough to participate in the combine and ran a 4.47, just a year removed from the injury. He'll be healthy enough to participate in minicamps and the like. At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, he's expected to be an outside receiver. Pittsburgh has Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, but Johnson's in a contract year and Claypool is still somewhat unproven. Pickens emerging as this team's top receiver a year or two from now is in the realm of possibilities.
Supposedly, Pickens might have fallen due to character concerns. He was suspended a couple of times in college, and got in an on-field fistfight with a defensive back. I thought about these things when I drafted him. But since all that stuff was public knowledge, and the Steelers selected him anyway, I'm giving the team the benefit of the doubt. Over the last dozen years of wide receiver draft picks, they've earned it.
--Andy Richardson