Quote:
Originally Posted by TambaBerry
George Pickens please
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8. GEORGE PICKENS | Georgia 6032 | 195 lbs. | JR. Hoover, Ala. (Hoover) 3/4/2001 (age 21.15) #1
BACKGROUND: George Pickens Jr., who goes by his middle name “Malik” with his family, grew up in central Alabama and attended Hoover High. After playing on the freshman team in 2015, he starred on the junior varsity team as a sophomore and moved up to varsity as a backup later in the season. As a junior, Pickens earned First Team All-State honors with 46 receptions for 735 yards and five touchdowns, adding a pair of punt-return touchdowns. He helped lead Hoover to the 2018 league title and finished his senior year with 69 catches for 1,368 yards and 16 touchdowns, along with a kick-return touchdown. Pickens earned Under Armour AllAmerican and First Team All-State honors and was a finalist for the Class 7A Player of the Year award.
A five-star recruit out of high school, Pickens was the No. 4 wide receiver in the 2019 recruiting class (No. 24 overall) and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Alabama. He started receiving scholarship offers as a sophomore (before he became a varsity starter as a junior), and Auburn made him a priority from the start. Pickens committed to the Tigers in July 2017 while also considering offers from Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. After a year-and-a-half commitment to Auburn, he surprised many by flipping to Georgia on signing day. It marked back-to-back years that the top-ranked recruit in Alabama left the state for college (Justyn Ross in 2018). Pickens’ older brother (Chris Humes) was a defensive back at Arkansas State (2012-16) and spent time with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent before playing two seasons with the CFL’s Winnipeg Bombers. Pickens elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2022 NFL Draft.
STRENGTHS: Tall, long athlete with growth potential ... has both short-area quickness and deep speed ... wins over the top with the ball-tracking skills to go and get the football ... graceful in midair to make full-extension grabs ... comfortable catching the ball away from his frame ... makes tight, 90-degree cuts to square off routes ... sinks and snaps hips on comebacks ... fluid at the stem to hit another gear on post or corner routes ... works back to the ball at all three levels ... 71.1 percent of career catches resulted in a first down or touchdown ... powers through press and plays with some dog to him ... looked like he belonged in the SEC the moment he arrived in Athens as a true freshman ... experienced lining up inside, outside and all over the formation.
WEAKNESSES: Lean-framed, and would benefit from continuing to add bulk ... will lose body position to physical cornerbacks downfield ... still learning how to be a more precise route runner ... has some wasted steps or momentum in route setup, and needs to develop better consistency ... excessive steps vs. press, and learning how to be more efficient at the line ... occasionally allows throws to get on top of him ... only average post-catch acceleration, and not very elusive ... willing blocker, but falls off contact quickly ... had several immature moments early in his career: ejected from a game as a freshman for trading punches with a Georgia Tech defender, and was suspended for a half the following game (November 2019); was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for spraying water on a Tennessee player on
the sideline (October 2020) ... missed most of the 2021 season because of a torn ACL in his right knee during 2021 spring practices (March 2021).
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Georgia, Pickens was the X receiver in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s balanced scheme. Shortly after he enrolled, Bulldogs’ coaches said he was the most talented receiver on the roster, and he didn’t disappoint (led the team in receiving in 2019 with several freshman receiving records), but his past two seasons were marred by injuries, most notably his 2021 ACL tear. Pickens is a balanced athlete, with fluidity at the stem and the wheels to win vertically, skillfully tracking the deep ball. While his competitiveness is a plus, he lacks discipline in several areas of the position and lost a year of on-field development because of his injury. Overall, Pickens has a discount sticker on him after missing most of the 2021 season, but he is a graceful athlete with outstanding ball-tracking and 50-50 finishing skills. He has WR1 traits and potential if he returns to pre-injury form and continues to refine his routes.
GRADE: 2nd Round (No. 47 overall)