George Pickens Turns in Forty Time

George Pickens is by far one of the most talented wide receivers to ever come through Georgia's football program, and probably the most gifted since the AJ Green era in Athens. While his final season at Georgia didn't go as planned after Pickens went down in Spring of 2021 with an ACL tear, he is still one of the best wide receiver prospects in this year's draft class.

Due to his injury, Pickens was only able to appear in 4 games during his junior season, but even in those few games he still showed his injury was just a minor setback. At the end of the season, he reeled in five receptions for 107 yards which is an average of 21.4 yards per reception. That includes his catch in the National Championship game against Alabama where he displayed his elite catch radius and pulled in in a 52-yard reception.

Now, he's in Indianapolis to compete with the nation's best at the 2022 NFL Combine. Pickens ran a 4.43 in his first run. Pickens turned in a 4.40 unofficially.

Pickens concluded his college career with 1347 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 24 games played. His best season surprisingly came during his freshman campaign where had a career-high in both yards and touchdown receptions.

The Hoover, Alabama native was at one point foreseen to be a future first-round pick in the NFL, but since his injury, his draft stock has dropped off a bit as he now sits as a projected day two pick. There is still a chance for Pickens to make some of that money back though.

A player like Pickens will always have a role in the NFL, especially with how pass-heavy teams have become in the league. He is tall and lanky with good ball skills and strong hands that allow him to create a high win percentage on contested throws. He may not be the most polished route runner, but he certainly makes up for it in a lot of other areas in his game.

Pickens possesses a wide variety of skills as a wide receiver and his college game film is littered with flash plays. It is now just a matter of putting on a solid performance at the NFL combine to validate himself as a top prospect at the position.

Georgia is not known for consistently producing elite prospects at the wide receiver position, but Pickens certainly fits that role. While his draft stock may have taken a hit over the past year, there is no doubt that he will make an NFL team very happy when his name is called during the 2022 NFL draft.