George Pickens shares reaction to being drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers
Former Georgia Bulldogs star George Pickens went viral with his live reaction to his draft selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers and he finally revealed what was going through his mind at that moment this week.
“I was really just thinking, ‘I’m glad to be a Steeler,'” Pickens said in an interview with Pittsburgh team reporter Missi Matthews. “It was all happening so fast, so like, I really couldn’t think too much. It was just a great feeling to be honest.
“After you get the call, it’s on from there. It was a pretty good experience, too.”
Pickens went No. 52 overall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. It was a great slot for the wideout after suffering an ACL injury ahead of the 2021 season. Even though he didn’t score a touchdown for Georgia on their journey to the national title, he had 14 in the previous two seasons, along with 1,200+ receiving yards.
Pickens’ toughness impresses Steelers staff
The Pittsburgh Steelers were very high on George Pickens heading into the draft. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada shared that he especially appreciated the toughness the Bulldog showed in making a return to the field late in the year.
“Coming out of last year as we started early draft prep, we thought he was maybe the best wide out coming out,” Canada said after the draft. “He had a tough injury there in the spring, showed great battle to come back and play late in the year for them. We were able to go to his Pro Day. He was impressive beyond belief at his Pro Day, showed no signs of injury or anything that way.”
“The one intangible that you’ve got to give a lot of credit for is coming back and playing,” Canada added. “I don’t have the exact time, but eight and a half months from an injury to coming back and playing. He didn’t have a huge role, but he came back and played late, had some significant plays and fought to get back out there and play. To me, that’s a great show of his character right there. He easily could have said, ‘Hey, I’m going to get healthy and wait.’ We’ve all seen those things happen. They had a great team, obviously they had an exceptional season, but I think that shows a lot about him right there.”