Best Scheme Fit: Complementary
receiver in a downfield passing attack with the potential to emerge
as a lead receiver if he can get stronger and stay healthy.
Best Team Fit(s): Bears, Browns, Chiefs, Commanders,
Eagles, Falcons, Jets, Packers, Saints
Non-bolded times - Good examples of attribute Bolded times - Average/poor examples of attribute
Pre-Draft Fantasy Prospect
Grade* (out of 50): 41.0
* - How well does his skill set carry over
to the fantasy game? For receivers, a player needs to be a realistic
threat for 70 catches and 1,000 receiving yards at some point
early in their career to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional
scarcity at the pro level is also a part of the equation.
Positives
Although Pickens did not play much college football (24 games),
there are a few areas in which his game is NFL-ready. The Alabama
native plays to his timed speed and projects to be a very good field-stretcher
because he tracks the ball well. He displays a high level of athleticism
and consistently gives exceptional effort to bring in the deep ball.
That effort carries over to his blocking, where he flashes the ability
to get physical with his man even if his technique could use some
work. Pickens also routinely wins at the catch point on back-shoulder
throws and in 50-50 situations, using his length and strong hands
to make the play even if he isn't quite able to shake his defender
beforehand. It is also rare for a college receiver with his dimensions
to consistently get off the line of scrimmage as well as he does
as often as he does. Pickens also has a great feel for when to sit
in a soft spot against zone coverage. While adding strength without
sacrificing athleticism is always a bit of a projection, Pickens
appears to have the build to do so. Adding even 10 pounds of muscle
would go a long way in helping him hold up better against defenders
who try to bump him off his route.
Negatives
Pickens consistently gets a good release off the line of scrimmage
and possesses track speed, yet he consistently struggles to separate
and finds himself in contested-catch situations. This suggests he
did not learn or was not taught the finer points of route-running
at Georgia. Moreover, for as good as he is in contested-catch situations,
there were too many times in which he didn't stack his defender
or allowed the defender to get into his body at the catch point.
As one would expect from a receiver with his physical dimensions
(6-3, 195), Pickens needs to add muscle if he hopes to be anything
more than a field-stretcher/contested-catch downfield receiver in
the NFL. To that end, Pickens disappoints after the catch - despite
his obvious athleticism - more often than not because he lacks the
kind of strength necessary to drive through the tackle attempt by
cornerbacks. It also seems unlikely he will be anything more than
a perimeter receiver in the NFL, as he lacks the quickness usually
desired from today's slot receivers to take advantage of the two-way
go they typically get. It is also worth noting he was suspended
for violating team rules and kicked out of a game for fighting in
2019.
Bottom Line
Pickens is a difficult evaluation, to say the least. He led the
Bulldogs in all the major receiving categories as a true freshman
(49-727-6), although nearly a quarter of that production came in
a Sugar Bowl win over Baylor. He appeared much more confident in
his role as an alpha (and in his ability) as a sophomore but was
limited to what he could contribute because of the COVID-shortened
season of 2020. He then tore his ACL during spring practice in 2021,
which limited him to Georgia's final four games during its national
championship run. Between the Bulldogs' heavy reliance on the run
throughout his college career, COVID and bad injury luck, Pickens
is a wild-card. There are times he looks like a young A.J. Green
and other times he disappears for multiple series at a time. While
Pickens certainly has more upside than Reynolds, it is troubling
that someone with his athletic ability struggles to separate consistently
against college cornerbacks. (The problem with that statement is
there are times he does it exceptionally well.) His relative lack
of experience makes him even more of a projection than the typical
early entrant. As if it was not already obvious, the potential range
of outcomes for his pro career is almost infinite. He needs time
to develop, first and foremost. A very good receivers coach could
help him enjoy the kind of career Parker should have had if his
2020 film was any indication. If Pickens lands on a team with an
average (or worse) position coach, he could become an afterthought
very quickly.
--- Predict
the top ten picks of the NFL Draft for a chance to win FFToday prizes.
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now. Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and been featured
in USA TODAY's Fantasy Football Preview magazine since 2010. He
is also a high-stakes player who often appears as a guest analyst
on a number of national sports radio shows, such as Sirius XM’s
“Fantasy Drive." Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
Sports Writers Association.
Predict
the top ten picks of the NFL Draft for a chance to win FFToday prizes.
