George Pickens WR Georgia | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
George Pickens WR Georgia
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 04/21/2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.47 seconds (62%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.1 DOB: 03/04/2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| NFL Combine & Pro-Day Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 04/21/2022 | |
| Draft Year: 2022 | |
| 40 time: 4.47 seconds (62%*) | |
| Age: 23.1 DOB: 03/04/2001 | |
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| NFL Combine & Pro-Day Results |
| Overall Rating: | 86.9 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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77% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 121.0 | |
| Hands: |
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78% |
| Short Receiving: |
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75% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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85% |
| Deep Threat: |
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87% |
| Blocking: |
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64% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Mid
Overall Rank:
#45
Position rank:
#7
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| College Games: 26 College Snaps: 1098 | ||
ESPN RATING: 85/100
College Combine Results
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OVR Rank:
#29
Pos Rank:
#6
State Rank:
#5
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 97/100
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RIVALS RATING: 6.1 (100%)
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Drafted: ROUND: 2 - Pick Number: 52 (PIT)
Draft Profile: Bio
George Pickens attended Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama. As a senior, he had 69 receptions for 1,368 yards and 16 touchdowns. He played in the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game. 247sports.com rated him as a five-star prospect (ESPN - four-star prospect), #24 prospect nationally, #4 wide receiver nationally, and the #1 prospect in Alabama. He was one of the most highly recruited players in the 2019 class and ultimately ended up signing up with Georgia.As a freshman he played in all 14 games, earning his first start vs. Kentucky, and also started in the Sugar Bowl win over Baylor and finished the season with 49 catches for 727 yards, both Georgia team highs. As a result, he received a spot on the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team and was a co-winner of the Offensive Newcomer of the Year award.
As a sophomore, despite missing the first three games Pickens tied for the team's receiving honors with 36 catches for 513 yards and a team-high six TDs and caught seven passes for 135 yards, including a career-long 51-yarder, in Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati. He made the All-SEC Second Team as a result.
Pickens suffered a catastrophic injury in March 2021 - an ACL tear that kept him out of action until the regular-season finale vs. Georgia Tech- this has left his draft stock uncertain.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Before his injury was NFL Draft’s most physically gifted receiving prospects at 6’3″ and 200 pounds, Pickens has the ideal size to dominate as an outside receiver in the NFL
- Supremely gifted player who consistently shows excellent spatial awareness He has great concentration, and extremely strong, soft, reliable hands
- Dominates smaller corners and is really tough to bring down - has a dynamic stiff arm in the open field
- Runs beautiful routes and has the benefit of a full route tree
- Very good athlete with excellent length, impressive hands and catch radius enable him to make circus catches
- Able to track the ball over his shoulder and is a balanced, savvy route runner with top field awareness, sets up and sells routes beautifully
- Willing and able to go over the middle - whos not afraid of contact
- A savvy, natural pass-catcher with reliable hands and very good focus. Snatches the ball out of the air and shows the concentration to make acrobatic catches look easy.
- Amazing red zone target can jump and make contested catches with a Randy Moss quality
- Is really fluid who always plays in control - makes the game look easy
- Has excellent speed (4.47) straight-line speed and takes advantage of open seams when his quarterback is on target.
- Often used on deep routes, getting separation down the sideline or over the middle on crossing routes by extending his arms rather than pure speed
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Elephant in the room is his ACL injury and the extent it's hurt his value - is undetermined. Although he looked fast at the combine which should help shift some doubts
- Never looked explosive off the line of scrimmage - his injury may make this a bigger issue
- Has a number of off-the-field issues - he was suspended for violating team rules and has been ejected for punching another player. He has been called undisciplined by his own head coach - likely scare a number of NFL teams off
- Hasn't ever really produced top-level numbers - he's only put up 1285 yds in three years in college
- Does not always use his hands to secure deep throws, allowing the ball into his pads and chest.
- Has a lanky frame and will be overmatched physically by most cornerbacks in the NFL. Needs to be more competitive in tight coverage.
Scouting Report: Summary
Pickens could easily be the biggest boom-bust prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft class. He has quite possibly some of the most natural receiving talent in the draft and has shown dominating Calvin Johnston-like skills - and really was looking like a potential superstar before his injury.He, however, is still recovering from an ACL injury, and even before the injury hardly possessed the blazing speed you look for in an outside receiver. Pickens also has displayed some behavior red flags that need to be thoroughly investigated before teams consider spending a high pick on him.
After an impressive performance at the combine where he helped ease doubts over his long speed with a 4.47 time - we think Pickens has displayed the talent to be a first-day pick, however, it's more likely - given the glut of quality wideouts in this year's class for him to hear his name called in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Don't be surprised if Pickens turns out to be the most dominating receiver in this year's class and a truly special player at the next level.
George Pickens percentiles vs other Wide Receivers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate George Pickens (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
45.7
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
7.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.