Summer is the best time to evaluate dynasty assets and their place in the dynasty market. In this brand-new series, we will bring you a riser, faller, and longshot from each NFL team. We’ll cover dynasty values, potential trades, and overall team outlooks!
Let’s jump into the Pittsburgh Steelers.
RISER: George Pickens, WR
Pickens missed most of his last college season with the Georgia Bulldogs because of an ACL tear. As a result, he dropped in the NFL Draft to the second round (52nd pick), where Pittsburgh snagged him. The Steelers have a history of producing productive wide receivers they find in the draft, and Pickens was no different.
Despite the presence of Diontae Johnson and inconsistent quarterback play from Mitchell Trubisky and fellow rookie Kenny Pickett, Pickens still notched 52 catches for 801 yards and four touchdowns.
Pickens proved to be a solid downfield threat, averaging 15.4 yards per reception, good for 12th overall, and 9.5 yards per target (14th overall). He also had 1,323 air yards, which was good for 19th in the league. He was seventh in the league in deep targets with 28 per Pro Football Focus.
While Pickens was good going deep, the issue was offensive coordinator Matt Canada didn’t let him do much else, with 51.9% of Pickens' routes being either go routes or curls.
The knock on Pickens is his separation, which was 94th in the league. Can he get a consistent target share without creating separation? I think the answer is yes. While he doesn’t separate well from defenders, he is very good at making contested catches. One Pickett was in the lineup, the rookie QB became more and more confident fitting the ball into tight windows and trusting Pickens to make plays down the field even when he didn’t look open.
Once Chase Claypool got traded to the Chicago Bears and Pickett replaced Trubisky, Pickens saw increased targets and usage. With an expected bump in production from Pickett in his first full season as a starter, there is also an expectation that Pickens, now two years removed from his ACL injury, will take a big step forward as well in his second season.
