Georgia WR George Pickens meets with Packers at NFL Combine

Green Bay Packers fans are trying to avoid getting their hopes up about the team drafting a first-round wide receiver this year, but Georgia wideout George Pickens seems excited about the prospect of playing in Green Bay.

Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Pickens told the media members in attendance that he had both formal and informal meetings with the Packers. Pickens also made sure to mention how much he liked Green Bay’s scheme, as well as the idea of playing with Aaron Rodgers.

It’s worth noting that all 32 teams will informally meet with most players, and formal meetings are just part of the process. Media members usually receive short answers when asking players if they’ve met with certain teams, but Pickens went into a bit more detail when talking about the Packers.

Pickens was a promising receiver prospect entering his junior year at Georgia, but a torn ACL in spring practice kept him sidelined until the end of 2021. His role was limited at the end of the season, but his 52-yard reception in the national championship game against Alabama was one of the biggest highlights of the first half.

Listed at 6’3” and 200 pounds before official measurements come in, Pickens is an aggressive receiver with a bully mentality. While defensive backs are usually the ones known for trash talking and getting in opponents’ heads, Pickens has earned a reputation as a fiery competitor on the other side of the ball.

“I’m most definitely chatty,” Pickens said. “I like to talk trash, but I also like to show it, kinda like how Richard Sherman was. He could talk trash but he could also back it up. And I feel like if you have that, you’ll put fear in a lot of people.”

Former Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley was in attendance working for FOX5 in Atlanta. I had a chance to chat with him briefly about Pickens as a prospect.

“I think when he talked about his physicality and how he wants to play at the next level,” Shockley said. “He has a different mentality on the field. Absolutely a beast. He has first-round ability, obviously getting hurt doesn’t help him, but I think he has the ability to be one of the top one or two receivers in this class.”

Pickens meets Green Bay’s usual size thresholds for a receiver prospect, and the buzz around the combine is that he has legitimate first-round potential. Packers fans and Matt LaFleur will love his intensity as a run blocker, something that he takes pride in, and his ability to stretch the field vertically would pair nicely with Davante Adams if he is able to return.

This week will be a huge opportunity for Pickens to turn some heads, and if he’s around when the Packers pick at 28th overall in April, don’t be surprised to hear his name called.