NFL Draft and the WRs... Falcons-Drake London(#1-008) versus Steelers-George Pickens(#2-052)

[g-dawg]

I am high on Drake London, just need him to get healthy.    Obviously I am a Dawgs fan and watched George Pickens show an ability to dominate/take over a game when he was healthy but he also showed some maturity issues and he did have more of an injury history than Drake in college.

Drake is bigger and thicker but George is big and plays physical - just like Drake, when the ball is in the air,   Pickens will bring it down - showed 4.4 speed at the combine as well.    I said prior to draft Pickens would be a "Top 5" WR in this draft and still believe he will be - Pickens has ate up the pre-season and Steelers have shown the best aptitude in the league to find great WRs past the 1st round.

I know I will get flamed for this post but flame-suit engaged.

If London ends up as a high-end #1WR and occasional pro-bowler, it won't matter what Pickens does - but I do see star potential for Pickens and that was a great pickup for the Steelers.

 

[Tribal Chief]

If they would have doubled up and snagged both, that would be insane. I saw Pickens hit a corner with his patented push a few weeks ago and that just got my giddy. Hopefully both pan out and become all pros for their teams. Pickens just has to keep his emotions in check. London has to stay healthy 

[Killing Floor]

Drake’s got better quarterbacks chucking to him than Pickens. 
That’s an important factor. 

[Swayzee]

Much more interested to see how this plays out.

So many subplots with the teams and QB's.

https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/news/atlanta-receiver-drake-london-usc-trojans-indianapolis-colts-alec-pierce-cincinnati-bearcats-no-big-difference-draft

[Tim Mazetti]

55 minutes ago, Killing Floor said:

Drake’s got better quarterbacks chucking to him than Pickens. 
That’s an important factor. 

Just come on out with it. LOL.

Yep. Pickens is fragile, as well. 

Watched all UGA games.

[SkerFalcon8710]

O look Dawg fans grumpy about the falcons not drafting all the dawgs 

[Tim Mazetti]

1 hour ago, Swayzee said:

Much more interested to see how this plays out.

So many subplots with the teams and QB's.

https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/news/atlanta-receiver-drake-london-usc-trojans-indianapolis-colts-alec-pierce-cincinnati-bearcats-no-big-difference-draft

So, again, how big is the difference between London and Pierce? 

The correct answer is 45 picks, 10 of which at the same position, and the simple margin between entering the NFL as "good" versus "great."

BY

 DANIEL FLICK

[NOVAFalconFan]

Pickens plays for the Steelers, so he will get 17 prime-time games every season and an automatic bust in Canton.

[ROMERO]

49 minutes ago, SkerFalcon8710 said:

O look Dawg fans grumpy about the falcons not drafting all the dawgs 

I’m not. London is a Falcon and he’s not

Only Dawg I wanted was Davis but life moves on. 

[Clark Kent™]

Not surprised at all that a Georgia guy would make this thread lmao.

But I can't say I disagree with you 😬. I strongly disliked taking a WR at our pick. I didn't care who it was.  I will never believe that we couldn't find a partner to trade back. Even if we took less compensation than what is expected. Pickens is gonna be legit. I would definitely have preferred to have him outside of a top 10 pick tbh. 

[FalconFanSince1969]

Jordan Davis and pickens could have been nasty. Then again it's been a few preseason games and Pickens could continue to be injury prone but so could London so who knows. It was entirely possible for him to go before we picked again so it's tough to blame anyone 

[Mr.11]

Pickens has no pressure to develop. Pittsburgh has receivers. The Falcons had none, so they couldn't really afford to take a flier on a wait and see type of player. They needed someone who could contribute right away at the WR1 spot. You don't typically find those past the first round, and TF definitely wasn't interested in buying one in free agency with the kind of salary they're commanding nowadays. Drake London looks the part, which is great because he has to play the part. Pickens is WR2. Will probably see single coverage all year because of Chase Claypool on the other side.

[MD-FalconFan13]

I said this before the draft, but my only issue with London is health. If he can remain healthy he'll be a great pick. Health is my only concern with him.

Pickens has more concerns. Injury is a concern for him but also his mentality. Is he gonna stay focused and dialed in? Will he let his emotions get the best of him on or off the field? 

For Pierce I was a big fan and think he's gonna thrive with Matt in Indy. He's gonna surprise a lot of people

[TheUsualStuff]

2 hours ago, SkerFalcon8710 said:

O look Dawg fans grumpy about the falcons not drafting all the dawgs 

No where did the OP insinuate that. 

 

[g-dawg]

53 minutes ago, Mr.11 said:

Pickens has no pressure to develop. Pittsburgh has receivers. The Falcons had none, so they couldn't really afford to take a flier on a wait and see type of player. They needed someone who could contribute right away at the WR1 spot. You don't typically find those past the first round, and TF definitely wasn't interested in buying one in free agency with the kind of salary they're commanding nowadays. Drake London looks the part, which is great because he has to play the part. Pickens is WR2. Will probably see single coverage all year because of Chase Claypool on the other side.

Steelers aren't having to wait long to "wait and see" - Pickens is probably the top rookie story in pre-season right now.     Steelers have lapped the field in drafting receivers the last 10 years.

[g-dawg]

3 hours ago, SkerFalcon8710 said:

O look Dawg fans grumpy about the falcons not drafting all the dawgs 

I ain't like that - anybody on here long-term could tell you I would draft a Gator or Auburn Tiger over a Dawg if I thought they were more talented - but the comments like yours comes w/ my screen name - so I get it.   Carry on good sir.

[SkerFalcon8710]

12 minutes ago, g-dawg said:

I ain't like that - anybody on here long-term could tell you I would draft a Gator or Auburn Tiger over a Dawg if I thought they were more talented - but the comments like yours comes w/ my screen name - so I get it.   Carry on good sir.

I’m just dawging you, I honestly didn’t even read the post lol I just saw Pickens highlights and assumed it was just another insert “why didn’t we draft nakobe dean” thread.
 

I guess I’ve become to cynical for the board  😅 

 

all good G-Dawg 

[PriMeTiiMe]

Pickens was the one Georgia player I would have been ecstatic about getting. His only concern is staying healthy. He went to the perfect team. Within 2 years he will be a superstar #1 WR.

[youngbloodz]

I wouldn’t have been upset at all with Pickens. Pittsburgh passing game the last two years has been dreadful. So it’s not like WRs are crushing it out there. 

[mtldirtybird]

6 hours ago, Tim Mazetti said:

So, again, how big is the difference between London and Pierce? 

The correct answer is 45 picks, 10 of which at the same position, and the simple margin between entering the NFL as "good" versus "great."

BY

 DANIEL FLICK

that says Pierce for Alec Pierce not Pickens

[Tim Mazetti]

4 hours ago, mtldirtybird said:

that says Pierce for Alec Pierce not Pickens

Yes. A reply to a link from @Swayzee.

[runshoot]

14 hours ago, SkerFalcon8710 said:

O look Dawg fans grumpy about the falcons not drafting all the dawgs 

Yup exactly.. Not a post about Olave, or Wilson or Williams or Dotson, you know all the other 1st rounder WR . Nope we have to talk about the UGA player. @HASHBROWN3 This is why. You wanted to know, I explained it and here is the living example of it.

[TheTrue7]

2 minutes ago, runshoot said:

Yup exactly.. Not a post about Olave, or Wilson or Williams or Dotson, you know all the other 1st rounder WR . Nope we have to talk about the UGA player. @HASHBROWN3 This is why. You wanted to know, I explained it and here is the living example of it.

Says who? As they say, keep scrolling.

[PokerSteve]

12 hours ago, MD-FalconFan13 said:

I said this before the draft, but my only issue with London is health. If he can remain healthy he'll be a great pick. Health is my only concern with him.

Pickens has more concerns. Injury is a concern for him but also his mentality. Is he gonna stay focused and dialed in? Will he let his emotions get the best of him on or off the field? 

For Pierce I was a big fan and think he's gonna thrive with Matt in Indy. He's gonna surprise a lot of people

Pickens is definitely wound just a little too tight. People who wear their emotions on their sleeve don't get over it once they reach a certain age. If anything, you get worse the older you get. I speak from personal experience. lol. Of the two, I'm very happy we have London and not Pickens. 

[Mr.11]

11 hours ago, g-dawg said:

Steelers aren't having to wait long to "wait and see" - Pickens is probably the top rookie story in pre-season right now.     Steelers have lapped the field in drafting receivers the last 10 years.

Ok yeah, but hindsight is 20/20. London banged his knee in the first preseason game and has been held out since as a precautionary measure. Not really a fair comparison. Secondly, the top rookie story in preseason is arguably Ridder, who plays the most important position in football.

Steelers fans could easily be having this same discussion, except its "NFL Draft and the QBs... Steelers-Kenny Pickett(#1-020) versus Falcons-Desmond Ridder(#3-074)," at a position that has more far reaching consequences than WR.

I'm not gonna fault the Falcons for selecting the top WR prospect (which started the run on WRs in that draft, so who knows if Pickens would have even fallen to them had they went in a different direction) and trying to get weapons for the QB without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Personally, I probably would have went with Jordan Davis, but I'm not mad at the London pick. The Falcons were pretty much bone dry at WR, and any injuries would have made that situation even more untenable. Not surprised they decided to take no chances and draft London when they did.