The George Pickens hype train began in the preseason, and it looks like Mitch Trubisky finally got the memo, throw it to the rookie.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin appeared to have soured on the 2022 second-round pick when he didn’t play in the first series. It wouldn’t have been hard to see why with Pickens’ comments heading into Thursday night’s match up with the Cleveland Browns where he wanted Pittsburgh to throw the ball more, especially to him since he was open “90% of the time” in Week 2 against the New England Patriots — a game where he had one catch for 23 yards off two targets.
Well, after a catch that went for negative yards, Pickens was proven slightly right. Trubisky and the Steelers offense upped their tempo, and the six-year quarterback rolled to his right and threw it up for the rookie, who twisted his body and snagged it with one hand, despite good coverage from Brown cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.
Check out the catch below, along with a crazy angle of the grab:
He may not have been wide open, but Pickens showed why he was a steal at pick 52 in the NFL Draft. The rookie’s grab caught the attention of Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, who seemingly drew from his former Green Bay Packers teammate in his praise.
Despite a 38-point total, according to Caesars Sportsbook, the Steelers and Browns have lit up the scoreboard with 27 points combined in the first half. If Trubisky can avoid mistakes, the Pittsburgh offense can threaten for more with Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and now Pickens.
