George Pickens Fantasy

The Steelers continued to focus on the offensive side of the ball, taking Georgia wide receiver George Pickens with the No. 52 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old is believed by many to be the best wideout in the draft, compiling 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns off 90 catches throughout three years at the collegiate level. However, a torn ACL, which forced him to miss nearly all of the 2021 season, caused his stock to plummet. Nonetheless, as long as Pickens remains healthy, he has all of the talent in the world to make a difference. JuJu Smith-Schuster is now in Kansas City, so he'll also have a chance to move quickly up the depth chart. Yet, the former Bulldog's ceiling may be restricted unless Pittsburgh gets production from the quarterback position.

Apr. 29th • 9:11 PM

Entering this week's draft, there are some NFL teams identifying fewer than 15 players with first-round grades. After Ian Rapoport reported that there is more demand to trade down than to trade up, it appears there may be more question marks than usual at the top end of this year's class. With 32 picks coming off the board regardless, we may see some surprising names get called on Day 1. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero identified seven potential surprises to go in the first round. For fantasy purposes, he named one skill position player: Georgia wide receiver George Pickens. Pickens would be a safe bet for the first round if not for the ACL tear he suffered entering his third year. In his 22 games over his first two years, he had 85 catches for 1,240 yards and 14 touchdowns. He profiles as a true "X" receiver who can dominate man coverage. Teams hungry for an outside threat late in the first round may find Pickens' talent tough to pass on, particularly if the talent at other positions is lacking. Green Bay and Kansas City are obvious teams to watch for.

Apr. 26th • 9:47 AM