The Minnesota Vikings’ need at wide receiver has gone overlooked because of how many other holes they have to fill with this draft class. But the wide receiver room has no reliable pass-catchers outside of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn. Thielen is getting older, and Jefferson is set to break the bank in a few years with what most likely will be the biggest wide receiver contract of all time, so the Vikings will need to get a bit younger and cheaper at that position in a few years.
Though they might not target a wide receiver in the first round due to some more pressing needs like cornerback, I wouldn’t rule out them targeting a pass-catcher in the second round. With Thielen aging and more likely to be forced into the slot as he enters his mid-30s, and Osborn taking most of his snaps in the slot last season, the Vikings will need to add a receiver who can play on the outside.
That someone could be George Pickens from the University of Georgia.
Pickens certainly has all the physical tools that a team would covet in a wideout, standing 6’3″ and weighing 200 lbs. He doesn’t just rely on his size to make plays despite his stature. Pickens is sudden off the line and is explosive when beating the opposing defensive backs to the stem of the route. He is also a great route runner who has access to the entire route tree. Coupled with his size, that gives him an immense advantage against opposing defensive backs.
Pickens’ ability to be fluid in running routes allows him to get separation from opposing defensive backs. His willingness to go across the middle makes him a threat at all three levels. While Pickens isn’t the most explosive wideout, he can get separation when working deep. His ability to track the ball over his shoulder and extend his arms to make catches makes him a great deep threat. Pickens also has a great catch radius that lets him make grabs on errant throws.
With such obvious talent, you might wonder why Pickens isn’t projected to go in the top half of the first round. There is more than one answer to this question.
Pickens suffered an ACL tear in his right knee early into spring practice. He already wasn’t the fastest wideout, and there is fear that the ACL tear robbed him of some of his athleticism. While he was able to come back this season less than seven months after surgery, he didn’t look quite the same. He showed flashes, but you could see that some of the time off had affected his playmaking ability.
Pickens also didn’t post the numbers at Georgia that you would want to see from a potential NFL player. After a freshman year that saw him rack up over 700 yards on 49 grabs for eight touchdowns, the hope was that Pickens could continuously build on this solid outing until he was drafted. Unfortunately, he never was able to return to these peaks. He only played eight games in 2020 and finished with 513 yards on 36 catches. After returning for the final four games this season, Pickens recorded five catches for 107 yards.
Pickens’ declining numbers will turn people off. However, it is essential to remember that Pickens returned from an ACL injury this season and that COVID robbed him of a full season in 2020. He also had to deal with poor quarterback play throughout his career. Consider that Deebo Samuels never crossed 900 yards in his college career due to poor quarterback play.
Yes, I know Deebo and Pickens are very different players. But using Samuel as an example illustrates that sometimes talented players aren’t able to shine through in college due to the circumstances that they are in.
Pickens’ immaturity is the final reason teams might be turned off of him. Pickens sometimes walks on the wrong side of the fine line between being a fierce competitor and being obnoxious.
Head coach Kirby Smart had to address his star wideout’s behavior with the media when Pickens sprayed water onto Tennessee’s quarterback after he was hit out of bounds. The play cost Georgia 15 yards and allowed Tennessee to score on the possession.
It isn’t a one-off thing either. Pickens once exchanged punches with a defensive back from Georgia Tech and got ejected from the game. If he wants to play at the next level, he will have to mature and learn to keep his composure on the field.
With the positive environment that the new regime is creating in Minnesota, along with the leadership from wide receiver coach Keenan McCardell and Thielen, I think that Pickens would be able to harness this immaturity into a more healthy outlet. We have already seen several players talk about how the locker-room atmosphere is much more laid back than in previous years, so it stands to reason that Pickens would benefit from this culture change.
Though a torn ACL might have been concerning, Pickens’ ability to come back in record time is more impressive. While he wasn’t at the same level as he was before the injury, you can chalk that up to readjusting to the game and getting back to speed after such a serious surgery. I expect that Pickens will be able to show everyone his true worth when the season starts.
