If Georgia receiver George Pickens picks up where he left off last season, the rest of the Southeastern Conference could be in trouble.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore from Hoover, Alabama, is coming off one of the finest postseason showings in Bulldogs history, amassing 12 receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown during Georgia’s 26-14 dumping of Baylor in January’s Sugar Bowl. Georgia did not have the services of receivers Dominick Blaylock and Lawrence Cager in New Orleans due to injuries, so the Bears entered the Superdome knowing they had to stop Pickens.
It didn’t matter. Pickens was too good, and now he’s even better.
“He has a really good grasp on the overall, entire system,” Georgia fifth-year coach Kirby Smart said this week on a Zoom call. “At times last year he was a guy you had to put in a certain place and really explain what to do. He understands a lot more now about the bigger picture. What route is the other guy running? What is the coverage? What does the coverage do to change my route? How do I affect the play? Am I primary on this play? Am I the secondary on this play?
“He has a better understanding of all of those things, and that’s important to the rest of our offense. George is a talented player who can make us better in other ways than just catching the ball.”