George Pickens more concerned with Madden rating than media expectations of on-field play

When it comes to the supersized expectations much of the NFL community has bestowed upon him for his second season, George Pickens is unfazed.

“I don’t really pay too much attention to it, to be honest,” the prodigious receiver said after Pittsburgh Steelers practice Wednesday.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Pickens has been a trendy pick — from NFL.com to Sports Illustrated and various other outposts across the internet — to ascend to league-wide stardom after a rookie season in which he made an abundance of big plays en route to having 52 catches for 801 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season.

“I for sure see it,” Pickens said. “I for sure see people saying that. But I just keep working.”

Pickens, certainly, is working on his craft. The catches he made during training camp and the preseason show as much. But he’s also kept busy during his downtime.

“’I’ve (been) playing Madden, bro,” Pickens said.

And while Pickens blocks out the noise of the professional football media talking him up for 2023, on the other hand he has no issues conveying polite disagreement with how the programmers for the Madden video game view his abilities.

“A little too low,” Pickens said. “Way too low. I am like an 80, man. I should be like an 89, 90, at least.”

Only three players in the NFL last season were targeted, on average, deeper down the field (14.7 yards) than Pickens. According to Next Gen Stats, Pickens’ elite hands and “combat-catch” abilities allowed him to post the second-best “catch rate over expectation” in the NFL (10.6%).

So, what are Pickens’ own expectations for himself for Year 2 with the Steelers?

“A prolific year,” the 22-year-old said. “Making crazy catches, making regular catches, running good routes.

“As an overall receiver, I already felt I was already that. I just want to boost it another level.”

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