George Pickens may be one of the NFL’s emerging stars at wide receiver, but the Pittsburgh Steelers youngster may still need to work on some of his tackle evasion techniques.
The 22-year-old went viral during Monday’s game for trying to hurdle Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward early in the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Penn. Pickens caught a pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett and charged Ward near the sideline. The attempt probably did not go the way Pickens intended.
George Pickens failed hurdle lol #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/cDLdROGBwf
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 19, 2023
Offensive players sometimes try to hurdle defenders when they anticipate an oncoming low tackle. However, Ward stood his ground and pushed the Steelers wide receiver back to where he started.
Pickens’ hurdle attempt looked more like someone mashing buttons while trying to keep a play alive during a heated game of “Madden 24.”
Pickens accidentally pressed Y pic.twitter.com/nFlIPV2T7b
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 19, 2023
Failed hurdle aside, Pickens was having himself a solid night up to that point. The 8-yard catch gave him 104 receiving yards on just three catches up to that point, including a mammoth 71-yard touchdown.
PICKETT TO PICKENS. 71-YARD TD.
📺: #CLEvsPIT on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/zWM8hlwdPY pic.twitter.com/jZJCBAqd81— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2023
Steelers fans will probably give Pickens a pass for failed hurdles if he can deliver dynamic touchdowns beforehand.
