George Pickens 40 time: Is the Steelers WR faster than Antonio Brown?

George Pickens 40 time: Is the Steelers WR faster than Antonio Brown?
George Pickens 40 time: Is the Steelers WR faster than Antonio Brown?

George Pickens and Antonio Brown never played in the NFL together. As the then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver had an epic meltdown that sealed his NFL fate, the Georgia Bulldogs receiver was preparing for his draft day.

George Pickens was finally drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022.

But even though their times never overlapped, there is a strange symmetry there. Before winning the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers, Antonio Brown made his name with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He was often the weapon of choice for QB Ben Roethlisberger. Now, the new quarterback is Kenny Pickett and his receiving tool is George Pickens. They have been entrusted with bringing the glory days back to the Steelers.

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But if the future rhymes with the past, just how similar is George Pickens to Antonio Brown?

The young receiver was selected in the second round, whereas the ex-NFL receiver went late in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. There might have been many reasons for that but one significant difference that stands out is their physique.

The current Steelers receiver is 6'3/4", 195 lbs, with an arm length of 32-3/8" and 8-3/4" hand span. Antonio Brown came in lower in all these categories with 5'10-1/8" height, 186 lbs and 31" arm length, with the exception of hand span, where his was measured at 9".

Las Vegas Raiders v Pittsburgh Steelers
Las Vegas Raiders v Pittsburgh Steelers

However, despite his bigger stature George Pickens has Antonio Brown beat for speed. He had a 4.47 40-yard dash compared to the former Pro Bowl receiver's time of 4.48 seconds.

This is a trend that replicates itself across all categories. In the 20-yard split, Pickens recorded 2.57 seconds, whereas Brown recorded 2.61 seconds. For the 10-yard dash though, Brown recorded a higher time of 1.56 compared to 1.50 for Pickens.

Therefore, one can see that if the current Steelers receiver is to achieve the on-field stature of the former player, he is already solid on the fundamentals. He was drafted earlier, has a stronger and heavier physique and yet runs faster.

Examining further based on their statistics, how much the present player can replicate the performances of the former.

Can George Pickens match up with Antonio Brown?

Despite winning the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Antonio Brown recorded his best seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had seven seasons above 1,000 receiving yards during his career there.

He ended up with the most yards in the league twice in his career, with 1,698 yards in 2014 and 1,533 yards in 2017 respectively.

Even with such performances, his highest was a staggering 1,834 yards in 2015, beaten only by an even more impressive Julio Jones recording 1,871 yards with the Atlanta Falcons. In terms of touchdowns recorded, he led the league with 15 in 2018.

Comparing such a stellar record to just one season's worth of data that George Pickens has is inherently unfair. Instead, what one can do is look at each of their rookie seasons after being drafted.

Antonio Brown played in nine games and had 16 receptions for 167 yards at 10.4 yards per catch. George Pickens, on the other hand, featured in all 17 games and started in 12. He recorded 52 receptions and ended up with 801 yards at 15.4 yards after the catch.

Not only is the average there higher than in Brown's rookie year, but it is also higher than every season he played in the league barring his second year in 2011.

Also, in terms of touchdowns, Brown did not record a single touchdown in his rookie year, whereas Pickens recorded four receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.

Therefore, his rookie year statistics suggest that George Pickens has the application to back up his physical traits. This year will certainly provide more clarity as to how far Pickens and the Steelers can go.

Steelers Fans! Check out the latest Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule and dive into the Steelers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Veer Badani
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