George Pickens is the one player everybody in Pittsburgh decided to love as soon as the Steelers drafted him. Not even Pitt alumnus and potential franchise quarterback Kenny Pickett was met with such a unanimously favorable reception.
What did he do during his rookie season? Well, in addition to catching 52 passes on 84 targets for 801 yards and four touchdowns (plus a rushing touchdown), he was also something of a one-man highlight reel. Especially when targeted down the sideline in one-on-one coverage.
According to Pro Football Focus, he had more contested catches as a rookie (19) than any other rookie had had since at least 2016, when they began tracking contested-catch situations.