Ryan Clark gets grilled by fans over Justin Jefferson-George Pickens hot take - "We're witnessing mental illness"

It’s perhaps impossible to find any football expert or fan who would choose George Pickens over Justin Jefferson. Pickens did have a solid rookie season, finishing with 801 yards and four touchdowns. However, those numbers are nowhere near what Jefferson has accomplished.

The former LSU standout was last season’s Offensive Player of the Year after leading all wide receivers with 1,809 yards. He also has 4,825 receiving yards across three seasons.

Despite the discrepancy in their production, NFL analyst Ryan Clark believes that Pickens is more talented than Jefferson:

Ryan Clark receives a ton of criticism for choosing George Pickens over Justin Jefferson

Barstool Sports shared a clip of Clark sharing his hot take on who is more talented between Pickens and Jefferson. The former NFL defensive back said, to the shock of his fellow hosts:

“George Pickens is much more talented than Justin Jefferson. Justin Jefferson understands everything about playing the position: stems, leverage, he can catch the football. He’s a savant.

“But here’s the other thing. Coach [Mike] Tomlin told me something that I thought was great. They said, they didn’t even work to tolerate him, and they certainly didn’t try to raise him at Georgia. They didn’t embrace who George Pickens is."

Clark finished his argument by saying:

"When you got five stars everywhere, it doesn’t matter if you’re gonna run the ball for 250 yards a game. But now, at Pittsburgh, and talking to Ike Taylor about the way that the entire team loves his attitude, loves the way he approaches his job. That’s what the Pittsburgh Steelers have done for.”

Clark’s statement had one fan commenting:

“Just smile politely y’all were witnessing mental illness…”

Another Twitter user mentioned:

“We want what RC is smoking!! This man has lost his mind….”

Here are some more fan reactions about Ryan Clark seeing George Pickens as being more talented than Justin Jefferson:

Can Pickens produce Jefferson-like numbers?

Pickens has the attributes to dominate the game. But he could get more opportunities if quarterback Kenny Pickett will also improve. Last season, the former Pitt Panther had decent numbers of 2,404 yards and seven touchdowns.

However, he also threw nine interceptions and never had a game with more than one passing touchdown. As a result, the Steelers ranked 24th in passing yards (200.6) and 28th in points (18.1) per game last season.

Their continuous improvement could put Pickens in a rightful comparison with Justin Jefferson. But for now, most experts and fantasy football enthusiasts agree that Jefferson is the best wideout in the NFL today.