Steelers Former Scout Merril Hoge Gives Brutal Take On Polarizing George Pickens 'He's Very Immature'

The Pittsburgh Steelers left the 2022 NFL Draft knowing they had gotten an enormous steal by taking Georgia receiver George Pickens with their second-round pick (52nd overall). Pittsburgh has formed a consistent identity of drafting and growing talented receivers, but there is also the reality that Steelers fans have been snake-bitten by temperamental superstars in the past. Pickens hasn't enjoyed the kind of breakout season in 2023 that he was aiming for after a stellar offseason and nearly-perfect 2023 preseason, and a former Steelers employee has now lambasted his reaction to those challenges.

Steelers Former Scout Unimpressed By Young Pickens

After Pickens had a particularly challenging game in Pittsburgh's 2023 Week 9 victory over the Tennessee Titans, he took to social media to perform his own style of venting. While the Steelers emerged with a 20-16 win against the Titans, Pickens only had two catches for a total of -1 yards on the day. It didn't help matters that Pickens chose to avoid the celebration after Diontae Johnson scored his first touchdown since the Ben Roethlisberger era or that he left the field quickly and was among the first to exit the locker room as well.

On Wednesday, former Steelers running back and scout, Merril Hoge took it upon himself to explain precisely why the Steelers would be able to blame their 2023 failures on the dynamic, emotional Pickens. During the Titans game, Pickens had a chance for what seemed like a simple touchdown, but failed to get his second foot down in bounds. Considering the bravado that Pickens usually uses to describe his receiving talents, that was one that fans and coaches expect him to make regularly. Hoge agrees, and after Pickens practically shrugged off the social media and on-field antics after the 2023 Week 9 win, it left the former Steelers scout with plenty to say on the matter.

"It can be a big deal... He [Pickens] has all these complaints about officials and not getting the ball, and they might be legitimate, but there's a few other things that you [have] not evaluated that disturb me. Number one, you didn't get your feet in bounds. Why didn't you mention that? Why didn't you mention that you didn't get your feet in bounds? Why don't you mention sometimes you run routes halfway? Why don't we talk about the times you don't play hard? Like, you never evaluate those things! You don't bring those things up. You're not angry at those things. You don't post those things, but you're gonna post all these other things. That's a problem, okay... He's very immature."

Pickens removed all the Steelers-related posts on his Instagram following the 2023 Week 9 win and then posted "Free me," which was vague enough to spark plenty of curiosity and frustration at the direction the young receiver chose to go following Pittsburgh's fifth victory of 2023. It would be one thing if Hoge, who the team hasn't officially employed since the 2023 training camp, stopped there and let his frustration simmer, but that isn't what happened. Instead, Hoge doubled down, extrapolated Pickens' reaction far into the future, and sensed doom for the 2023 Steelers' campaign.

Steelers Future In Jeopardy Due To Pickens, Says Hoge

Pittsburgh knows what an out-of-control star looks like, so when Hoge comes out and claims that Pickens is already putting their future in peril, it seems like a massive overreaction from someone looking to get views and attention. The name Antonio Brown alone is triggering to an entire generation of Steelers fans, so a strange social media moment and Pickens downplaying the situation afterward hardly seems to compare when placed side by side. Hoge, however, apparently sees more than enough similarities between the circumstances to assume that the young receiver is already headed down that road.

"I mean, he is [immature]... I think people know that. You're gonna have to take and establish some way for him to establish ownership, and you gotta challenge him on that. You can't just say, 'Well, he is a young kid,' and make excuses for him 'cause he's making excuses... You point fingers and cast blame, but not one time did you look in the mirror. Not one time, and we're [Steelers] not going anywhere. We're not gonna build championships with people like you and attitudes like that. We just won't."

It's one thing to be concerned about a young player showing the kind of attitude that was the downfall of the Brown, Roethlisberger, and Le'Veon Bell years, but to pin the collapse of the 2023 Steelers and the future of the franchise completely on Pickens is ridiculous. It is like Hoge chose to pan over the Brown antics and not honestly recall the depth of toxicity that festered there because if he took that into consideration, he would be much more balanced in his approach to Pickens' lack of maturity.

Does Pickens need to grow up more in 2023 and beyond? Absolutely, I don't think anyone is questioning that. To say, though, that because of Pickens, the rest of the season is destined to fail in an attitude-ridden manner is missing the point entirely. No one benefits from Hoge ranting away without actually thinking his argument through because Pickens certainly won't be positively influenced by those words. Instead, let's find some solid role models who the Steelers actually endorse to think through the state of the 2023 Steelers and their young, dynamic talent—anything to stop Hoge from going off again.

Will George Pickens be a help or a hindrance to the 2023 Steelers during the second half of the season?