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
DraftRdSeasonPlayerTgtNoYdsTDRk
201932021Diontae Johnson169107116188
201722018JuJu Smith-Schuster166111142678
200932011Mike Wallace11472119389
200932010Mike Wallace98601257109
201722020JuJu Smith-Schuster12897831916
201722017JuJu Smith-Schuster7958917720
201932020Diontae Johnson14488923721
202022020Chase Claypool10962873923
200932012Mike Wallace11964836824
201032013Emmanuel Sanders11367740632
200932009Mike Wallace7239756636
202022021Chase Claypool10559860238
201932019Diontae Johnson9259680539
201332015Markus Wheaton7944749545
201822019James Washington8044735352
201332014Markus Wheaton8653644259
201722019JuJu Smith-Schuster7042552363
201032012Emmanuel Sanders7544626166
201822020James Washington5630392577
201032010Emmanuel Sanders5028376287
201532016Sammie Coates4921435292
201032011Emmanuel Sanders4322288299
201822021James Washington44242852111
201822018James Washington38162171125
201722021JuJu Smith-Schuster28151290133
201332016Markus Wheaton94511148
201332013Markus Wheaton136640156
201532015Sammie Coates21110190

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