George Pickens isn't afraid to torment anyone. That includes his rookie roommate, his veteran teammates, past Steelers greats, and, especially, opposing defensive backs.
Pickens dazzled at the Steelers' first training camp practice Wednesday afternoon at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. He nearly hauled in a spectacular, diving catch during the early portion of team drills, but dropped the ball as he hit the ground.
The second round pick out of Georgia didn't waste a lot of time before making up for it. He laid out to pull in a long pass from Mitch Trubsiky down the left sideline, fending off cornerback Cam Sutton and staying in bounds.
"Cam was playing off and Mitch just literally gave me a chance. He threw it up and I made a play.
"I told myself, I'm not dropping it, even if I fell into some rocks. The first one irritated me, because that would've been a crazy catch."
The redemption sent a buzz through the crowd, which appeared more and more intrigued by Pickens as the short session went along.
After a while, that excitement spread when Pickens' roommate, fellow rookie receiver Calvin Austin III, took a screen pass from Mason Rudolph over 60 yards for a touchdown.
"Anytime I see grass, I just think that I need to run as fast as I can to get to that grass," Austin III said. "It's important to show my speed any time I step out on the field, because that is one of the main factors of my game. It's something I hope to be consistent with a I hope to become the norm."
"It was amazing," Pickens said of watching the play. "Everybody knows Calvin can fly. As soon as he got the ball, people were actually running after him and can't even catch him."
The two rookies got perhaps more opportunity to make plays than they might under normal circumstances.
Veteran wideout Diontae Johnson did not participate in team drills, a decision that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated was made by Johnson as he searches for a contract extension.
Because of his absence, Pickens got plenty of run with the first team, and Austin III was on the field for extended time with the backups.
Tomlin, however, was hesitant to heap too much praise after the first day.
"We've got one practice down, so I'm not going to crown them today," he said.
Message received, according to Pickens.
"Just keep working," is how he took Tomlin's words. "I like it better that way."
Pickens and Austin III appear to be forming a bond. It could be one that could set up a nice tandem in Pittsburgh, and one that could be paired nicely with other skill position standouts like Chase Claypool, Pat Freiermuth, Najee Harris and, of course, Johnson.
All of those players could form a formidable and, quite importantly, a flexible arsenal for whoever becomes the Steelers' starting quarterback.
"I wouldn't even say that we have locked positions," said the diminutive Austin III. "All of us know each position and are able to do a million different things even though we have different body types."
While he's making strides on the field, Pickens is hoping to get into a little (good) trouble off of it. And it may come at Austin III's expense.
Pickens is a self-proclaimed prankster, and is coming up with ideas to trick some of his teammates while staying in the Rooney Hall dorms.
When warned about going after veteran players, he shrugged it off, noting that no one is off limits with what he has in the works.
"You know me, iit can be Antonio Brown, it don't matter," he joked. "I'm going to prank whoever I feel like pranking at the time."
The Steelers hope that he and Austin continue to punk secondaries, even if it's their own for the next couple of weeks.
But for the duo, keeping everything in perspective is necessary, too.
"Every day for me is gong to be important, just with learning learning the NFL," Austin said. "Everything is different than college."
Except, perhaps, the shenanigans in the dorms.
