George Pickens makes incredible catch over Steelers rookie Joey Porter Jr.
Joey Porter Jr.‘s welcome to the NFL moment may have come before the season even started at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp on Tuesday.
While competing in one-on-ones, the rookie out of Penn State lined up across from second-year wide receiver George Pickens. And Pickens’ one year of league experience clearly showed, as he rose up for a jaw-dropping one-handed catch over Porter that got an enormous reaction out of players and fans alike in attendance, which can be seen below.
Porter played tight coverage throughout the rep, playing physically with Pickens at the line of scrimmage and during the course of his route. But when the ball was in the air, Pickens made an incredible adjustment and an outstanding one-handed finish to come out on top with the ball.
Pickens proceeded to give the ball back to Porter following the highlight reel-worthy play, something that Porter Jr. didn’t take kindly to throwing the ball at Pickens’ helmet afterward. But the level of competition heating up between two of Pittsburgh’s premier young players is surely a great sign in the Steel City.
The Steelers selected Porter with the No. 32 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, which represented the highly sought-after first pick of the second round of the draft that came with numerous offers from other teams. He’ll be looking to follow in the footsteps of his father after he impressed in his final season at Penn State, allowing just just 15 catches for 143 yards in coverage last season according to PFF, and adding 27 tackles and 11 pass breakups to his stat line.
Pickens on the other hand is looking to improve on his impressive rookie season with the Steelers after leading the team in touchdown receptions in 2022. He finished the season with 52 receptions for 801 yards and four touchdown grabs, making numerous highlight play catches and blocks throughout the season.
He recently claimed he’s the best wide receiver in the world, which he certainly looked like for at least one play in particular during Steelers training camp.
Mike Tomlin evaluates development of Joey Porter Jr., Cory Trice Jr.
Along with Porter Jr., the Steelers also drafted cornerback Cory Trice Jr. from Purdue with the No. 241 overall pick in the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft. And following OTAs and mandatory minicamp, head coach Mike Tomlin spoke highly of his rookie defensive back duo.
“You know they’re sharp guys, the type of institutions they went to, the caliber of ball they played, it wasn’t much that we introduced to them schematically that they hadn’t already been exposed to. Both sharp guys,” Tomlin said. “I think that what to do is less of an issue for them and they’re making the transitional things that most corners do,” Tomlin explained. “The nuances of the game in terms of contact beyond five yards and stuff like that, the difference between college ball and professional ball, I think is kind of where a lot of the energy has been.”