Steelers Adding More Star Power to George Pickens Game
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers got an instant star in George Pickens, but heading into year two, could it get better? With early work at minicamp nearing the end, the coaching staff is preparing the wideout to add another explosive element to his arsenal.
"That's one of the things we've been trying to work on," Pickens told All Steelers. "Getting those types of plays in. Trying to get that RAC."
"Those plays" are slants, which the Steelers are working on with Pickens to add bigtime underneath plays to his already electric deep ball game.
"We're hoping to add to his repertoire," wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson said. "Last year, he showed the vertical part of his game. He has a lot more to his game. Hopefully, this year we can get him doing a bunch more of what he's capable of doing. We gotta get him to be better after the catch. He's gotta be able to take a slant and go 60 (yards) with it.
"He showed one part of his game last year. We're working and improving the other parts of his game."
Pickens is already a star down the sideline. As a rookie, he caught 68% of his contested catches, a higher percentage than stars like A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf last season. Pittsburgh already believes he's open when in one-on-one coverage, and Jackson said it should be a 100% success rate when he's given the opportunity against a single defender.
"He gets single coverage, we expect him to win. And more times than not, he's should win," Jackson said. "If he's one on one, he's open in my book."
Now, it's about adding to his short game to make it just as eclectic as his single coverage deep. The offense is working on plays to add Picken's slant routes to their scheme, and the second-year receiver is focused on doing his part as well.
"Really, the beginning of the route angle. If you mess up the db super, super bad, that's going to give you more advantage for yards after catch. If you have him on you, you can break a tackle, but that's a little harder. The best advantage to get that going is to have a great release point."
If it works, Pickens could be the most electric player on the field whenever the Steelers play this season.
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