Steelers 2-a-days: George Pickens has all the skills, fellow rookie OL Chris Owens the versatility

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2022 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly-alphabetical order, two per day, between June 11 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

OL CHRIS OWENS

Experience: Rookie

Contract status: $706,666 cap hit in 2022, signed through 2024

2022 outlook: The Steelers appreciate versatility in their players, but perhaps nowhere moreso than the offensive line. As someone who was an high school All-American guard but whose first position at Alabama was center and last appearance in college was in the national championship game as a tackle, Owens certainly qualifies as versatile.

A semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy (known as “the academic Heisman”) and undrafted rookie, Owens reportedly aspires to be an NFL general manager some day. The Steelers’ current management surely appreciates his football IQ as much as it does Owens’ versatility. At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, scouting reports on Owens suggest he’s better at run blocking than pass protection.

With a good camp, there’s no reason Owens can’t earn a spot on the practice squad in 2022.

Steelers 2nd-rd pick a George Pickens on UGA running a pro-style offense, his bond with fellow rookie WR Calvin Austin and on a head accessory he wore on the 1st day of rookie minicamp pic.twitter.com/94QPu1MBaO

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 13, 2022

WR GEORGE PICKENS

Experience: Rookie

Contract status: $1.227 million cap hit in 2022, signed through 2025

2022 outlook: Pickens is hoping to become the latest in a run of Steelers’ second-day receiver draft picks that make an impact. Truth is, he probably would have been somebody’s Day 1 pick this spring had he not suffered a torn ACL during spring practice prior to his final season at Georgia. One of the nation’s most-recruited wide receivers out of high school, Pickens was on the all-SEC freshman team in 2019, and he led the Bulldogs in touchdown catches and was the leading receiver in the Peach Bowl as a sophomore. Last season, he was limited to four games — but they were big ones (the rivalry meeting with Georgia Tech, the SEC championship game and the College Football Playoff semifinals and final). He had a 52-yard catch in the title win game against Alabama.

At 6-3, 200 pounds and with a 40-yard dash in the 4.4 range, Pickens has all the tools to be a star NFL receiver. And after the offseason departures of three of the Steelers’ top five receivers from 2021, Pickens will have an immediate opportunity to make an impact and perhaps start. It might, in fact, almost be labeled a disappointment if he does not play a significant role in the Steelers offense by the end of the season.

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