Found this pre-draft report on Pickens from The Athletic
For a recent Athletic post, Bruce Feldman picked the brain of several scouts and position coaches. When the topic of this year’s “most boom-or-bust” receiver came up, several responses highlighted Pickens.
“George Pickens,” an unnamed scout said. “There’s a lot of upside, but he can’t get out of his own way. He’s been enabled his whole life.”
A wide receiver coach shared similar sentiments, explaining that no amount of talent could convince him to draft the Georgia Bulldog.
Pickens. You love his game, but there’s some issues. Do you want to work with him? He’s a top-6 talent-wise, but it’s impossible not to add those other things. He has the size, has really good range. He positions his body on deep throws. He consistently beats press coverage. Has good start-stops with some AI (Allen Iverson) crossover in his game. A lot of the stuff in (Todd Monken’s) system translates to the NFL. But I wouldn’t touch him.
Wide Receiver Coach 3 speaking to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic
Another coach even broke out the dreaded pre-draft term: red flags.
“On tape, he is probably a top-5 wide receiver but there’s just so many red flags, and they’re big red flags. He’s got a lot of growing up to do,” the anonymous Wide Receiver Coach 5 explained. “If he goes to the right place with a room full of veterans that help him go the right way, I think he’ll have a chance.”