Steelers Now
When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for DK Metcalf last offseason, analysts wondered how his game would mesh with George Pickens‘. They were both thought to be deep-ball receivers, but general manager Omar Khan sent Pickens away before the tandem could take the field.
Considering how Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice views Metcalf — who posted a team-high 850 receiving yards and six touchdown grabs during his first season in black and gold — they might not have been similar receivers after all.
“I’ve never been the highest guy on DK because I think people misconstrue how he plays,” Tice said last week on the “NFL Daily” podcast. “I think you see him and George Pickens, you’re like, ‘Yeah, two dunk artists!’ And it’s like, ‘Well, he’s more catch-and-run and then a slant guy, DK is.'”
Now-former longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin pushed back on the idea that the two were completely alike, saying, “I don’t necessarily view them as similar. They’re both downfield capable, but they’re different people. DK’s a big man. GP is tall. And there’s a difference.” Cam Newton felt that Metcalf and Pickens could have been the “modern-day version of Alshon Jeffery/Brandon Marshall,” who both had over 1,200 receiving yards with the Chicago Bears in 2013.
After Pickens landed with the Dallas Cowboys, he pinned up a career year, piling up 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 93 grabs. Only Jaxon Smith-Njigba (1,793) and Puka Nacua (1,715) had more receiving yards.
Pickens led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception in 2023. He was targeted 209 times over his final two seasons in Pittsburgh.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Metcalf had an average targeted air yards figure of 9.8 yards last season, with over 50 other pass-catchers sitting ahead of him in that category. He had an average of 7.6 yards after catch per reception, second only to Kansas City’s Rashee Rice (8.2).
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Would DK Metcalf and George Pickens Have Actually Clicked for Steelers?
