Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens alleges that from time to time he will pull all-nighters thinking about only the game of football.
“I don’t take a lot of time off,” Pickens told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Sometimes I don’t even sleep. I’ll pull all-nighters, just thinking about football.”
Pickens also said that fans of the Steelers have yet to see him at the height of his powers.
“I’d probably say 80%,” Pickens said when asked how much of his ability Steelers fans have seen. “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 23-year-old was drafted with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after a three-season stint competing at the collegiate level at the University of Georgia.
Pickens solidified himself as one of the more talented wide receivers in the NFL from the jump. In his rookie season, the 2022 season, he totaled 801 receiving yards, 38 first downs receiving and four receiving touchdowns while averaging 47.1 receiving yards per contest across 17 regular-season appearances with the Steelers (12 starts).
But for as impressive as Pickens’ maiden season in the NFL was, he raised his level of play drastically in the 2023 regular season.
He started 16 of Pittsburgh’s 17 games and racked up 1,140 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns, 42 first downs receiving and 63 receptions. His 1,140 receiving yards were the 16th-most of any player in the NFL and more than big names such as D.K. Metcalf and DeAndre Hopkins, both of whom have several Pro Bowl selections under their belts.
Pickens also averaged a league-high 18.1 yards per reception on top of 67.1 receiving yards per game in his sophomore season.
The youngster helped lead the Steelers to 10 regular-season wins for the first time since the 2020 campaign. But despite finishing with a solid record of 10-7, the Steelers ended up with just the third-best record in what was a formidable AFC North division. The Baltimore Ravens clinched the division with a league-best 13-4 record.
After squeaking into the playoffs, Pickens and the Steelers lost their first playoff game against the Buffalo Bills by 14 points, which put an end to their season. Pickens accumulated 50 receiving yards on five receptions in the loss.
Pickens’ admission to staying up all night thinking about football on some occasions implies that he could have the passion necessary to be one of the top receivers in the NFL for a long time.
