'Can't Sleep!' Pickens Issues Warning to NFL
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason, and they find themselves searching for more help in addition to the selection of Roman Wilson in the third round of the NFL Draft.
But don't "sleep'' on George Pickens. Because George Pickens himself does not sleep.
“I don’t take a lot of time off,” Pickens said this week at OTAs. “Sometimes I don’t even sleep. I’ll pull all-nighters, just thinking about football.”
'Can't Sleep!' Pickens Issues Warning to NFL
Pickens, 23, doesn't have a talent issue. And based on his own words, this isn't a commitment issue. But he did in 2023 find himself in hot water all too often for needless behavioral issues on the way to his 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns.
What can Pickens do with a stable QB situation now with the signing of Russell Wilson
What can Pickens do if he stabilizes himself?
“I’d probably say 80 percent,” Pickens said when asked about how much we've seen of what he's capable of doing. “I can only go off of how the quarterback plays. I can thrive more. … The yardage showed it. I should have made the Pro Bowl.”
The yardage? Pickens averaged 18.1 yards per catch this past year, which was tops in the league.
The Pro Bowl? That's not really how it works.
The subtle dig at the Steelers' previous crop of QBs? We're about to see if that can really made a difference for the University of Georgia product, who might have a chance to be the Steelers' featured guy - as pass-catchers go - under new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith.
“I feel like it can benefit a lot,” said Pickens, a second-round pick from 2022. “With this type of mindset or scheme, my job is to just get open.”
Actually, his job is to funnel all his talent and all his energy in a positive direction. And if Pickens does that? It might be opposing defenses dealing with those sleepless nights.