Steelers sign second-round draft pick George Pickens

The Pittsburgh Steelers began their 2022 rookie minicamp on Friday. Following practice, the team announced they have signed second-round draft pick George Pickens.

Selected as the 52nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Pickens played three years at Georgia as a wide receiver. Suffering an ACL injury during spring workouts following his sophomore season, Pickens returned to play four games his junior season. Coming back for their last regular season game against Georgia Tech, Pickens also played in the SEC Championship Game as well as the national semi finals and finals. In the National Championship Game, Pickens had one reception for 52 yards.

Admired for returning to play when Pickens could have just as easily continued to rehab and prepare for the 2022 NFL draft, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert commended Pickens on his dedication to return. In the 24 games Pickens played in his career at Georgia, he had 90 receptions for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Pickens is the first of the Steelers draft picks to sign their rookie deal in 2022. With the rookie wage scale in place from the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are not a lot of negotiation factors involved with draft picks like there were years ago. For this reason, the Steelers are likely to sign several more of their draft picks throughout the coming days. All contracts for draft picks are for four years with any first-round selections having a fifth-yearoption.

According to overthecap.com, Pickens salary cap hit for 2022 is estimated at $1,320,306.

Stay tuned to Behind The Steel Curtain for breaking news, rookie minicamp reports, and all things Pittsburgh Steelers.