30 Days of Colts' Fits: George Pickens, WR, Georgia

The 2022 NFL Draft is officially just a month away. In order to help you all along until draft day, I decided to start a daily prospect spotlight series to talk about some players that the Colts could target next month.

The players mentioned in this series will be players that I have either heard that the team is really high on, or are players that just make way too much sense for the team based on fit/past draft history.

Next up on the countdown to Draftmas is Georgia wide receiver George Pickens.

Background

Pickens is a former four star recruit that chose to attend Georgia over offers from Auburn and Mississippi State out of high school. He exploded out of the gate for the Bulldogs, putting together his best collegiate season as a freshman.

He finished his first year on campus with 49 receptions for 727 yards and eight touchdowns playing in the rugged SEC. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC team, while also winning the Newcomer of the Year Award with the Bulldogs.

As a sophomore, Pickens got off to yet another fast start. Playing in a Georgia passing offense that was less than stellar, he finished the year with 36 receptions for 513 yards and six touchdowns in the eight games that he played. He closed out the year with a monstrous seven catches for 153 yard game against Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl.

Prior to his junior season, Pickens tore his ACL in March of 2021. He made a miraculous recovery, however, and appeared in four games down the stretch in Georgia's championship run.

Not only is George Pickens a credible deep threat who can make 50-50 grabs, but he’s also a physical blocker.

Would love to see his aggression and swagger on the #Bears. pic.twitter.com/ajJW4fHkND
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) April 9, 2022

Size/Testing Numbers

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 200 pounds

Arm Length: 32 3/8 inches

Testing Numbers: 40 Time: 4.47 seconds / Vertical Jump: 33 inches / Broad Jump: 125 inches

"Catch-to-Attack Conversion" is a key element of my YAC grade. You do not have to be traditionally "elusive" to add value to each reception.

George Pickens illustrates what it means to effectively transition into the run-after-catch phase with this "Moving Target" strategy. pic.twitter.com/ORL2vZPIXW
— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) April 8, 2022

Ability on Film

Pickens has all the traits to be a top wide receiver in the NFL. He is big and strong at the catch point down the field. He is a savvy player that can find space against zone coverage and he can work a defender's blind spot against man. He also excels at beating press, which is a big deal when it comes to translating to the NFL.

On top of all that, he regularly saw NFL competition in the SEC. Look at this clip below. He is lined up against one of the best cornerbacks in the country in Roger McCreary. Pickens calmly beats the star corner off of the line and then accelerates past for the easy score. This is an easy win against a player that is going to get drafted fairly high in this class.

Pickens simply does things that most of this wide receiver class can't do. The common traits that successful receivers typically possess are; size, route running, and yards after the catch. Pickens is a top prospect at all three of those attributes.

This play against Alabama in the National Championship is even more remarkable when you realize that this is less than a year from his ACL injury that he suffered last spring. In just his fourth game back from major injury, Pickens makes this kind of play on the biggest stage.

Fit with the Colts/Team Interest

Last year, the dream selection for the Colts in the first round was Kwity Paye. He was the player that seemed so unrealistic that he would actually be there, but if he somehow fell, Indy needed to sprint to the podium.

This year, that player is George Pickens at pick 42. He has all the traits to be a legit number one receiver in the NFL, and his game would perfectly complement what the Colts already have in Michael Pittman Jr. He is a special talent that may slip a little bit due to quarterback play/recent injury.

The Colts, like every team in the league, were in attendance at Georgia's Pro Day, likely to keep an eye on the star receiver. From what I've heard, the Colts are really high on Pickens and would be ecstatic if he slipped to 42.

Overall, this is likely just a dream scenario. It is hard to see Pickens actually falling past the 20's, where Green Bay and Kansas City both possess two first round picks. If he is there at 42 though, Indy better start sprinting.

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

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