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George Pickens Knew Kenny Pickett Was Great Long Before Steelers

It took one meeting, long before the Pittsburgh Steelers, for George Pickens to see a winner in Kenny Pickett.

PITTSBURGH -- It took no time for George Pickens to realize that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was a winner. Literally, no time at all. 

The first time the Steelers' first and second-round picks met was at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. And the moment Pickens met the Pitt quarterback, he knew he was different. 

"Oh, he was real laid back, like a cool type of guy," Pickens said. "A lot of other QBs, they had different personalities. Kenny was just more of like a strictly business. I don't want to say strictly business, but you know, laid back, and he's somebody not to joke around with, he's gonna go and take it seriously. He wanted to be great. That's really the biggest thing. He wanted to be great."

That never changed. From their time together at rookie mini camp and throughout the summer at Latrobe, Pickens continued to see that competitiveness grow, and with it, so did the connection between the rookies. 

"When we linked up, it was like old friends again," Pickens said. "So, we so I was saying, me and Kenny, like before we even got to the team we were gonna get to, we've always been cool. So now we're just trying to sustain it."

In the last two games, the two rookies have connected for seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Their best streak of the season. 

Something Pickens continued to hammer should continue, and he believes will with time. 

"Him just growing and knowing as we just go through the season, stuff is gonna start to click, you know, opportunity will start to rise," Pickens said.

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