B/R
Never one to shy away from a good quote, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens doesn’t have a high opinion of receivers who operate primarily out of the slot.
Appearing on FS1’s The Facility (starts at 4:45 mark), Pickens cited Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and other “slot merchants” who get “fed the ball” thanks to their scheme as the reason they are putting up better numbers than someone like him who consistently plays on the outside.
Pickens was responding to a question in which he was about where he ranks among the NFL’s receiver hierarchy and declared he is “definitely” in the top five, “if not better.”
In addition to taking an unnecessary dig at slot receivers like St. Brown, Pickens’ statement was strange because he was seemingly critiquing other teams for scheming up their best pass-catchers to get the ball more often and in more favorable situations that allow them to make plays after the catch.
“When it comes to that, I ain’t playing QB, O-line, and defense all at once. So schematically, that’s probably the biggest thing in that way for me to really show the world a bigger platform over my game style,” Pickens said.
St. Brown does operate out of the slot frequently for the Lions, but that’s not all he does in their offense. He has played 44.3 percent of his snaps this season from the slot.
Pickens, by comparison, has played 26 percent of his snaps out of the slot for the Steelers. He’s certainly one of the most physically talented wideouts in the NFL. The 23-year-old led the league with 18.1 yards per reception last season.
It’s not totally fair to make a one-to-one comparison because the Lions have a better infrastructure around St. Brown than the Steelers do for Pickens, but Detroit has a formula that puts it among the best offenses in the NFL.
The Lions currently lead the league in points per game and have scored more than 40 points in each of their past two games. The Steelers rank 20th in points per game and have scored more than 24 points once in six weeks.
St. Brown’s success in the Lions offense has also gotten him paid to the tune of a four-year, $120 million contract extension signed during the offseason. Pickens will reportedly get an extension from the Steelers before his rookie deal expires after the 2025 season.
Pickens has zero touchdown catches this season and has been criticized for appearing to quit on plays.
Even if St. Brown isn’t as physically gifted as Pickens on the field, he’s maximized his talent in a great scheme with a Lions team that has a good chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year.
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