YAC, plus Russell Wilson’s ball, should lead to even more ‘splash’ from Steelers’ George Pickens

How did George Pickens go from the NFL pass catcher with the lowest average yards-after-catch as a rookie to the wide receiver with the seventh-best “YAC” in his second season?

“Hard work,” Pickens said after Pittsburgh Steelers practice Wednesday. “It’s all I put into it. If you work hard, you evolve your game.”

An accurate quarterback throwing you in to YAC helps, too, as Pickens’ late-season explosive plays proved when Mason Rudolph took over as the Steelers’ starter.

With the critical Year 3 about to begin for Pickens (it’s the season in which his value for his second NFL contract will be established), he gets one of the NFL’s best of all time at throwing the deep ball.

But while Pickens is excited to work with veteran Russell Wilson, he downplays the effect that Wilson could have on his receiving numbers.

“I have got to kind of adjust to the ball, either way that it’s kind of thrown anyway,” Pickens said. “So I am just trying to make a play on my behalf.”

With the likes of Rudolph, Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky throwing to him over his first two NFL seasons, Pickens amassed 115 receptions for 1,941 and nine touchdowns. In a sign of how the Steelers’ quarterbacks play might have held back their wide receiving corps, all other Steelers wide receivers in 2022 and 2023 combined for a mere seven touchdown receptions.

This season is the first in which Pickens will be the unquestioned alpha WR1. Coach Mike Tomlin believes he’s ready for it.

“George has gotten attention all of his life as it pertains to football,” Tomlin said. “I think (attention as the No. 1 option) is nothing new to him.”

At a mere 23 years old, Pickens — in regards to role — is the leader of a Steelers’ otherwise-underwhelming receiving corps that includes Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller and injured rookie Roman Wilson.

“I think he’s grown in all areas,” Tomlin said of Pickens, “not only in terms of skill relative to his position — he has a lot of that — but the nuances of the game, getting in and out of cuts, hand selection and so forth. He’s grown in a lot of ways.

“Obviously as a human, he’s grown in the ways you would expect young guys to grow in terms of knowledge of the game and what it means to be a professional and how to conduct yourself.”

Pickens improved his average YAC from 2.0 in 2022 to 6.2 last season. His overall yards per catch went from 15.4 to an NFL-leading 18.1.