If there was a player who made eyes pop with almost every reception in 2022, it was receiver George Pickens.
Pickens, the team's second-round pick out of Georgia, was a human highlight reel who has Steelers Nation abuzz with every catch he pulled in.
But the funny thing was, Pickens was never overly impressed with the catches he made.
Not even ranking one of the best of the entire 2022 NFL season in his top five.
The catch was a sick one-handed grab out of the air while basically horizontal with the field against the Browns in Week 3 on Thursday Night Football. And yes, the internet reacted, including Odell Beckham Jr., who many quickly compared Pickens catch with an incredible one-handed touchdown catch by OBJ in 2014 with the New York Giants.
In Pickens eyes, though, no big deal
"That's probably like seven," said Pickens in the days after.
Seven? What about one through six?
"UGA, practice for real," said Pickens, referring to catches he made while at the University of Georgia. "One is on YouTube, you will probably see it. A lot of them are undiscovered.
"I made even crazier catches in college. When I caught the ball, I made crazier catches before, so I knew I caught it. It was just a fact of what the world thought about it. I saw their input on the internet."
Pickens finished the 2022 season with 52 receptions for 801 yards, a 15.4-yard average, and four touchdowns. His yards per catch led the team, while his yards were ranked second and catches ranked third.
"He's the best athlete probably that I've played with," said quarterback Kenny Pickett during the season. "Just the freak things that he does, the catches he makes that are so nonchalant to him, but I kind of look around like, 'I've never seen that before in my life.' He's a unique guy that can do a lot of great things. We've just got to continue to get him the football."
Pickens, though, doesn't think he is doing anything special. For him, it just comes easy, naturally, to play the way he does.
"It's because I have been doing this for a long, long time," said Pickens.
Yes, he is a rookie. And yes, I did remind him of that when he said, 'long, long time.'
"Like you said, I really haven't been doing it that long," Pickens laughed. "I have been working hard my whole life, though. And I have fun on and off the field and that transpires to the games."
Pickens and Pickett have been the perfect match so far, something that started when the two arrived for the teams' rookie minicamp back in May.
"I feel like our relationship was always there," said Pickens. "Over time, progression, us working together every day.
"It really does help as far as us coming in on the same learning curve. If he was a second-year guy, here a whole year before me, I would be trying to catch up to him. Since we came in at the same time it kind of helped us learning at the same level."
One area where Pickens has developed the most is with his football savvy, including developing a better grasp of his speed running routes.
"He's a great receiver," said Pickett. "We talk all the time about how he's evolving into a complete receiver and doing more things and running different routes and having a full route tree that corners have to deal with. You become a lot tougher to cover when you have all different ways that you can go and you're not just a deep ball threat, which he's not. He does a lot of great of things for us at the intermediate level. I think as his game continues to grow, we'll continue to grow as an offense."
Take a look at photographs of Steelers WR George Pickens from the 2022 season
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 in Cleveland, OH. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 in Cincinnati, OH. The Steelers beat the Bengals in OT 23-20. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 in Baltimore, MD. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 16-13. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers beat the Buccaneers 20-18. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Buccaneers 20-18. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. (Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers beat the Saints 20-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Patriots beat the Steelers 17-14. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022 in Miami, FL. The Dolphins beat the Steelers 16-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022 in Miami, FL. The Dolphins beat the Steelers 16-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers beat the Saints 20-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Patriots beat the Steelers 17-14. (Jared Wickerham /Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022 in Miami, FL. The Dolphins beat the Steelers 16-10. (Brad Young / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) scores a touchdown during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022 in Miami, FL. The Dolphins beat the Steelers 16-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) scores a two-point conversion during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in Indianapolis, IN. The Steelers beat the Colts 24-17. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022 in Miami, FL. The Dolphins beat the Steelers 16-10. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 in Cleveland, OH. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Bengals beat the Steelers 37-30. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in Indianapolis, IN. The Steelers defeated the Colts 24-17. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Bengals beat the Steelers 37-30 (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Ravens beat the Steelers 16-14. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022 in Buffalo, NY. The Bills beat the Steelers 38-3. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022 in Atlanta, GA. The Steelers defeated the Falcons 19-16. (Joe Noyes / Pittsburgh Steelers)
2022 SINGLE-GAME HIGHS:
RECEIVING
Receptions:
6 at Miami Dolphins, Oct 23, 2022
6 at Buffalo Bills, Oct 09, 2022
1 more at 6
Receiving Yards:
102 vs. New York Jets, Oct 02, 2022
83 vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Nov 20, 2022
83 at Buffalo Bills, Oct 09, 2022
78 vs. Baltimore Ravens, Dec 11, 2022
72 vs. Cleveland Browns, Jan 08, 2023
Receiving Average:
26.0 vs. Baltimore Ravens, Dec 11, 2022
24.0 vs. Cleveland Browns, Jan 08, 2023
20.8 vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Nov 20, 2022
19.0 at Indianapolis Colts, Nov 28, 2022
17.0 vs. New York Jets, Oct 02, 2022
Longest Receptions:
42 vs. Baltimore Ravens, Dec 11, 2022
38 at Carolina Panthers, Dec 18, 2022
36 at Cleveland Browns, Sep 22, 2022
35 at Indianapolis Colts, Nov 28, 2022
33 vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Nov 20, 2022
Receiving TDs:
1 vs. Cleveland Browns, Jan 08, 2023
1 vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Dec 24, 2022
2 more at 1.
All-Purpose Yards:
102 vs. New York Jets, Oct 02, 2022
83 vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Nov 20, 2022
83 at Buffalo Bills, Oct 09, 2022
78 vs. Baltimore Ravens, Dec 11, 2022
72 vs. Cleveland Browns, Jan 08, 2023
Most TDs:
1 vs. Cleveland Browns, Jan 08, 2023
1 vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Dec 24, 2022
3 more at 1
RUSHING
Rush Attempts:
2 vs. New Orleans Saints, Nov 13, 2022
1 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oct 16, 2022
Rushing Yards
23 vs. New Orleans Saints, Nov 13, 2022
1 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oct 16, 2022
Longest Runs
22 vs. New Orleans Saints, Nov 13, 2022
1t vs. New Orleans Saints, Nov 13, 2022
1 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oct 16, 2022
