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The excitement continues into Friday for Steeler Nation as the 2022 NFL Draft is charging forward. The Pittsburgh Steelers are still charging forward as well when they snagged a high upside wide receiver with their 2nd round pick in George Pickens.
Pickens is a tall, lanky, smooth gliding wide receiver that excels with his ball skills in contested catch situations. Seeing him ‘Moss’ opposing defensive backs will make Steeler Nation happy.
As far as what he means for the Steelers’ offense, specifically the other members of their wide receiver room, that is something that is still a bit cloudy.
There are currently two wide receivers on the Steelers roster that will have a role in their 2022 offense, Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, both of who have displayed their abilities to this point and where they fit best. However, that may have to change a bit for one of them a bit moving forward.
Pickens is primarily an outside wide receiver due to his long strides and lanky build, but he has the physicality and strength at the catch point to where he could be used in the slot. He had some experience in the slot during his college career, although in a limited capacity.
Both Johnson and Claypool have primarily operated as perimeter wide receivers to this point, with now Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster holding down the slot position. However, now that Smith-Schuster is gone, it leaves a vacancy in the slot with no clear replacement.
After the selection was made, Matt Canada was asked about Pickens in a press conference, and he may have shed some light on the makeup of this wide receiver room. In response to if he sees Pickens as an ‘inside guy or an outside guy’, Canada responded:
That comment alone is telling of how they think they can use him within their offense, but also opens the door for either Claypool or Johnson to have a slightly different role as well.
Matt Canada at press conference after selection of WR George Pickens. Credit: Steelers
Out of those two, I expect Claypool to have his role change the most. Johnson is a pure outside receiver and flourishes on the perimeter, where he can use his elite route running and foot quickness to get open.
On the other hand, Claypool does his best work when moving back to the center of the field, but hasn’t had a lot of opportunities there. Yes he does have the ability to get deep down the sideline, but working toward the middle of the field while boxing out defenders has resulted in very favorable results.
In 2021 Steeler Nation saw Claypool align in the slot on just under 20% of his snaps, and I believe we could see that increase to about 30-40% in 2022. In comparison, Johnson played in the slot just over 6% of his snaps in 2021, and I would anticipate that to change a whole lot.
Of course that is just touching on their upcoming roles within the offense, but what does the Steelers drafting Pickens mean for their future with the team?
There is some speculation that selecting a wide receiver this high means the team may not want to commit the amount of money it may take to re-sign Johnson. I do not believe that to be the case, however, with the wide receiver contracts sky rocketing this off-season and the wide receiver position ascending, as we saw with the number of wide receivers already selected in this year’s draft, anything can happen.
The Steelers had a legit hole on the roster at their third wide receiver spot, and needed to commit significant capital to that position. Dionte Johnson’s extension should not be affected much at all by the selection of Pickens, as Pickens will be on a rookie contract for 4 seasons and any contract Johnson signs would likely be over by the time Pickens is due for a contract.
Let us know below what you think about the potential of Pickens within the Steelers’ offense, as well as how you believe the other Steelers’ wide receivers role’s will adjust!
SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Pickens is a tall, lanky, smooth gliding wide receiver that excels with his ball skills in contested catch situations. Seeing him ‘Moss’ opposing defensive backs will make Steeler Nation happy.
As far as what he means for the Steelers’ offense, specifically the other members of their wide receiver room, that is something that is still a bit cloudy.
There are currently two wide receivers on the Steelers roster that will have a role in their 2022 offense, Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, both of who have displayed their abilities to this point and where they fit best. However, that may have to change a bit for one of them a bit moving forward.
Pickens is primarily an outside wide receiver due to his long strides and lanky build, but he has the physicality and strength at the catch point to where he could be used in the slot. He had some experience in the slot during his college career, although in a limited capacity.
Both Johnson and Claypool have primarily operated as perimeter wide receivers to this point, with now Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster holding down the slot position. However, now that Smith-Schuster is gone, it leaves a vacancy in the slot with no clear replacement.
After the selection was made, Matt Canada was asked about Pickens in a press conference, and he may have shed some light on the makeup of this wide receiver room. In response to if he sees Pickens as an ‘inside guy or an outside guy’, Canada responded:
That comment alone is telling of how they think they can use him within their offense, but also opens the door for either Claypool or Johnson to have a slightly different role as well.
Matt Canada at press conference after selection of WR George Pickens. Credit: Steelers
Out of those two, I expect Claypool to have his role change the most. Johnson is a pure outside receiver and flourishes on the perimeter, where he can use his elite route running and foot quickness to get open.
On the other hand, Claypool does his best work when moving back to the center of the field, but hasn’t had a lot of opportunities there. Yes he does have the ability to get deep down the sideline, but working toward the middle of the field while boxing out defenders has resulted in very favorable results.
Steeler Nation Gets A Big Play Threat With George Pickens At Pick No. 52
In 2021 Steeler Nation saw Claypool align in the slot on just under 20% of his snaps, and I believe we could see that increase to about 30-40% in 2022. In comparison, Johnson played in the slot just over 6% of his snaps in 2021, and I would anticipate that to change a whole lot.
Of course that is just touching on their upcoming roles within the offense, but what does the Steelers drafting Pickens mean for their future with the team?
There is some speculation that selecting a wide receiver this high means the team may not want to commit the amount of money it may take to re-sign Johnson. I do not believe that to be the case, however, with the wide receiver contracts sky rocketing this off-season and the wide receiver position ascending, as we saw with the number of wide receivers already selected in this year’s draft, anything can happen.
The Steelers had a legit hole on the roster at their third wide receiver spot, and needed to commit significant capital to that position. Dionte Johnson’s extension should not be affected much at all by the selection of Pickens, as Pickens will be on a rookie contract for 4 seasons and any contract Johnson signs would likely be over by the time Pickens is due for a contract.
Let us know below what you think about the potential of Pickens within the Steelers’ offense, as well as how you believe the other Steelers’ wide receivers role’s will adjust!
SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
