3 Pittsburgh Steelers rookies that will contribute the most in 2022

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie no. 2: George Pickens, WR (2nd round)

George Pickens will make a huge impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense in 2022.

The question is — how soon?

Pickens is showing “no ill effects” of the injury that sidelined him for most of last year and limited him to just a handful of plays in the National Championship game.

That’s great news for the Pittsburgh Steelers, because Pickens could wind up being one of the steals of this year’s draft.

I love the way Kevin Colbert always goes after skill players on day two of the Draft.

That strategy has landed the Steelers a seemingly endless supply of stud receivers through the years, and I love that they doubled up on the 2022 class with the aforementioned Calvin Austin III and Pickens in round two.

What does Pickens bring to the table for this Pittsburgh offense?

He is going to bring you an elite red zone threat and someone who can bail out the quarterback with a massive catch radius.

Having one guy like that already in Chase Claypool, an established stud NFL receiver, only figures to make the impact Pickens can have greater.

Pickens has a lot of personality. He’s going to be physical on the field with defensive backs, and that might result in him getting into some trouble with penalties at times.

But you have to love the competitiveness, and that comes across every time the ball is thrown in his direction.

The injury Pickens suffered, combined with some of the QB woes at Georgia the last couple of seasons, may have contributed significantly to an otherwise unnecessary fall to the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

I think Pickens is going to be a stud if whoever is under center for the Steelers can just get the ball in his vicinity.