George Pickens

George Pickens

24-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR
Dallas Cowboys
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Pickens' third NFL season in 2024 looked a lot like his second, with the main difference being three missed games in December because of a hamstring injury. He thrived right before the absence while catching passes from Russell Wilson, averaging 4.8 catches for 81.2 yards and 0.5 TDs on 7.7 targets over a six-game stretch (compared to 4.3 catches for 60.5 yards and no TDs in Justin Fields' six starts). The Steelers apparently weren't impressed, considering they traded for WR DK Metcalf in March and sent Pickens packing to Dallas in May. The 24-year-old reportedly wants to play out his contract year rather than signing an extension in Dallas, where the presence of QB Dak Prescott and limited target competition behind CeeDee Lamb create a nice opportunity for Pickens to improve on his Pittsburgh numbers. The Cowboys' new head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, mostly oversaw balanced or run-first offenses in his previous stints as an NFL playcaller, but he was the offensive coordinator in Dallas the past two years when the team ranked third and eighth in pass attempts. It won't come as any surprise if Pickens exceeds some of his career highs, namely 106 targets and five TDs, even though he'll be a No. 2 WR rather than a No. 1 now. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Signed a four-year, $6.75 million contract with the Steelers in May of 2022.
Mixed bag in Cowboys debut
WRDallas Cowboys
September 4, 2025
Pickens brought in three of four targets for 30 yards in the Cowboys' 24-20 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night.
ANALYSIS
The big-name offseason addition didn't see Dak Prescott look his way anywhere near as much as CeeDee Lamb, but Pickens made some solid contributions in the narrow loss. The talented receiver made his first regular-season catch as a Cowboy on a six-yard grab during Dallas' opening drive, and he'd go on to draw a 34-yard pass interference penalty on Quinyon Mitchell before the quarter was over. Pickens also had a key 15-yard grab on third down with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but he was guilty of an unnecessary roughness penalty deep in Eagles territory in the third quarter on a drive that culminated in a Miles Sanders fumble. Pickens is naturally expected to settle into the Cowboys' air attack the more he plays, and a Week 2 home matchup against the Giants on Sunday, Sept. 14 could represent an opportunity for his first breakout performance.
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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2025 NFL Game Log
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2022
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2024 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Dallas CowboysCowboys 2024 WR Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

84076%
77069%
43839%
34931%
30327%
15614%
14713%
121%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where George Pickens lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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2025 George Pickens Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do George Pickens' measurables compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 3"
 
Weight
200 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.47 sec
 
Vertical Jump
33.0 in
 
Broad Jump
125 in
 
Hand Length
8.75 in
 
Arm Length
32.38 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring George Pickens See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring George Pickens See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
Pickens quickly earned a reputation for making difficult deep catches after the Steelers made him a second-round pick in 2022, and last season he took things to the next level with increased contributions on short and intermediate passes. His quantity of targets 20-plus yards downfield actually dropped by eight compared to his rookie season, but he caught 11 of the 22 for 405 yards and then saw 17 more looks in the range of 10-to-19 yards and 11 more within 10 yards of the line. When all was said and done, he'd topped his rookie-year totals by 22 targets, 11 catches, 339 yards and one TD. Pickens isn't quite an athletic freak -- he posted a 4.47 40 and 33-inch vertical at 6-3, 195 -- but he's smoother than most tall wideouts and already has a long highlight reel of contested catches. The question now is whether he'll progress to true No. 1 receiver volume/production, entering his age-23 season with a new coordinator (Arthur Smith), new QBs (Russell Wilson, Justin Fields) and no Diontae Johnson. Smith has a track record of directing run-heavy offenses and inherits a unit that finished 2023 ranked 29th in pass attempts (506) and ninth in rushes (487) . Wilson's preference for throwing to the perimeter and reputation for accurate deep passing would seem to make him a good fit for Pickens in particular, and Johnson's departure is also promising given that Pickens was targeted on 27.3 percent of his routes in the four games Johnson missed last year (17-357-2 on 33 targets). Pickens is a strong bet to improve on last year's 22.2 percent target share, but it won't necessarily equate to taking the next step in fantasy football if he's cutting his slice from one of the smallest passing-game pies in the league.
A 2022 second-round pick, Pickens bounced back from a slow, injury-addled finish to his college career at Georgia and caught 52 passes for 801 yards and four touchdowns for the Steelers in his rookie season. He made a number of highlight-reel grabs and showed a particular affinity for contested catches, with the downside being that he struggled to gain separation and drew only 84 targets in 17 games. The Steelers seem to be expecting a step forward given their lack of noteworthy WR signings this offseason, and there's something to be said for not needing the smoothest route-running skills when you're 6-3 with 4.47 speed. Pickens, Diontae Johnson and TE Pat Freiermuth set up as the primary targets for second-year QB Kenny Pickett, who mostly struggled as a rookie but also showed progress as the year went along. It remains to be seen if Pickens can improve his agility and route-running now that he's more than two years removed from the ACL tear he suffered during a 2021 spring practice at UGA.
If you look at his college stats, you might think Pickens was a reach in the second round. If you remember how he was viewed a few years ago, you'd think he was a huge steal. The five-star recruit had 727 yards and eight TDs as a true freshman, followed by 514 and six in eight games as a sophomore, before an ACL tear last spring limited him to four appearances (and 107 yards) at the tail end of his junior season. Pickens could've returned to Georgia in 2022 to rehab his draft value, but he did a decent job of that anyway between the late-season return and his respectable showing at the combine (4.47 40). Pickens weighs only 195, quite thin for a 6-3 receiver, and he turned 21 shortly before the draft. He thus seems most likely to start off as Pittsburgh's third or fourth WR, but there's room to eventually make a move on No. 2 wide receiver Chase Claypool, the hyper-athletic 2020 second-rounder who disappointed last season.
More Fantasy News
Chemistry building with Dak
WRDallas Cowboys
August 13, 2025
Pickens hauled in a deep sideline throw from Dak Prescott against tight coverage from DaRon Bland in practice Tuesday, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Not yet clicking on deep routes
WRDallas Cowboys
July 26, 2025
Pickens hasn't quite been on the same page as quarterback Dak Prescott on deeper routes during the early part of training camp, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Traded to Dallas
WRDallas Cowboys
May 7, 2025
The Steelers are trading Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Deal to Cowboys being finalized
WRPittsburgh Steelers
May 7, 2025
The Steelers are finalizing a trade to send Pickens to the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
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Target of trade interest
WRPittsburgh Steelers
April 23, 2025
The Steelers have received calls inquiring about trading for Pickens leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Quiet Dallas debut
WRDallas Cowboys
September 5, 2025
Pickens had three catches for 30 yards on four targets in his Cowboys debut during Thursday's 24-20 loss to the Eagles.
ANALYSIS
Pickens finished second on the team in receiving yards, but his usage lagged significantly behind CeeDee Lamb, who had seven catches for 110 yards on 13 targets. Pickens had two fewer targets than tight end Jake Ferguson, so at least initially, the mercurial receiver is being used as an ancillary piece in Dallas' offense after coming over in an offseason trade from the Steelers. Pickens didn't take kindly to limited workloads in Pittsburgh, so he may not be content playing second fiddle for long.
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