General manager Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy this offseason. Still waiting on an upgrade at quarterback, they’ve made several moves to improve the rest of the roster. Their biggest move was trading their second-round pick for receiver DK Metcalf, seemingly creating a bona fide number one to pair with George Pickens. However, that duo won’t play together for the Steelers. Pickens has been traded to the Dallas Cowboys, and former Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress thinks Pittsburgh kept the worse receiver.
“How this hurts the Pittsburgh Steelers, they didn’t get any better,” Burress said recently on his podcast, Up on Game. “I don’t believe, when it comes down to playing the position and playing the game of football, that DK Metcalf is a better wide receiver than George Pickens.
“I would not agree to that. We know that George Pickens, when he’s playing and he’s focused, he’s one of the top-five ball players at the position. There’s no dispute in that. There’s no doubt about it, but we got to get the young man focused so he can reach his full potential and become one of these elite wide receivers in all of football.”
That’s a bold claim from Burress. Pickens is extremely talented, as shown by the number of spectacular catches he’s made in his young career. However, Metcalf is no slouch. He might be an even bigger freak athlete than Pickens.
Metcalf has been in the league since 2019. In that time, he’s made two Pro Bowls and been named Second-Team All-Pro once. He’s recorded three 1,000-yard seasons and two with 10 touchdowns or more. At around 6’4” and around 230 pounds, Metcalf is one of the most physically imposing receivers. He’s also an incredible athlete with legit sub-4.40 speed.
While Metcalf has his flaws, not winning as many contested catches as he should with his frame, he’s a rare talent. Players like him don’t grow on trees. Although he probably isn’t a top-five receiver in the league, he’s still proven to be a capable number one option.
Meanwhile, Pickens still has a lot of growing to do. He’s only played three seasons in the NFL, going over 1,000 receiving yards once. His stats are probably hurt by the Steelers’ anemic offense, though. He’s shown he can be open at all times.
However, like Burress says, there’s a catch to Pickens’ talents. When he’s not focused, he isn’t at his best. While he can make the impossible look possible on the field, he also too often lets his emotions get the best of him. Pickens’ attitude and outbursts hurt Pittsburgh too many times.
Metcalf has also had issues with his emotions on the field, but Pickens’ issues are arguably worse. There have also been reports that Pickens was often late to games or other team activities. That’s different from getting upset on the field.
Maybe Pickens can be better than Metcalf one day. He’s only 24 years old, while Metcalf is 27, so he has more time to mature and develop. However, right now, Metcalf is probably the better and more proven player. Now that Pickens is with the Cowboys, perhaps that’ll change. Pickens might have more potential but that’s just a word for accomplishing things you haven’t done yet.
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