George Pickens Offers the Commanders WR1 Upside

Commanders WR help

George Pickens, WR

School: Georgia | Conference: SEC

College Experience: Junior | Age: 21

Height / Weight: 6’3” / 195 lbs

Projected Draft Status: 2nd Round

Player Comparison: DJ Chark

College Statistics

Player Overview

Five-star high school recruit and the top player in Alabama, George Pickens originally committed to Auburn. But with Riley Ridley and Mecole Hardman leaving Georgia for the NFL, the Bulldogs had a void in their wide receiving corps. Pickens changed his mind and announced on National Signing Day he was committing to Georgia. He had an impressive freshman campaign and, once JT Daniels became the starter his sophomore season, his play that year picked up. During Spring Practice before his junior year, Pickens tore his ACL and missed almost all of the 2021 season. He was able to come back in the last game of the regular season and played in the postseason, helping the Bulldogs become national champions.

Strengths

· Tall receiver with large catch radius

· Times his breaks well to use defender’s momentum against them

· Strong hands to pluck the ball out the air

· Good speed to get on top of DBs

· Can highpoint ball and make 50-50 catches

· Tracks the ball well downfield

Weaknesses

· Occasional concentration drops

· Didn’t see a lot of press coverage;

· Strength and effort at catch point can be inconsistent

· Needs to sustain blocks longer

· Unsportsmanlike calls shows he has to keep his head

· Injury concerns; torn ACL forced him to miss most of junior year

Let’s see his work

How He Fits On The Team

There is a lot to like with George Pickens. He’s tall, has strong hands, and runs his routes to take advantage of his defender. Because of his ability to win on the outside, a lot of his targets were downfield but he flashed some ability to make catches in the middle and run after the catch. I would like to see him be more aggressive at the catch point and as a blocker. He would probably get consideration in the first round if he had not torn his ACL, had more consistent quarterback play, and played in an offense that was less run heavy.

While Washington has filled a number of slots in the wide receiving corps, there should be a desire to find a better option opposite Terry McLaurin. They may also have to consider options for if they are unable to retain McLaurin. Even if healthy, Curtis Samuel is not likely to be the first option at wide receiver. 2021 third-round pick Dyami Brown has yet to emerge as a consistent contributor let alone WR1. Pickens can come in and immediately play opposite McLaurin and continue his strong play on the outside. Pickens’ attributes offers upside to be WR1, but needs to get stronger to realize that potential. Even if he doesn’t, he will be a solid second option at wide receiver.