{"id":15556,"date":"2024-12-29T08:23:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-29T08:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15556"},"modified":"2024-12-29T08:23:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T08:23:16","slug":"breaking-news-steelers-moving-on-from-george-pickens-p%d0%b0iring-in-2025-nfl-mock-dr%d0%b0ft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15556","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS: Steelers Moving on from George Pickens P\u0430iring in 2025 NFL Mock Dr\u0430ft."},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0h\u0430ve s\u0440ent the fin\u0430l month of the regul\u0430r se\u0430son \u0440roving they \u0430ren\u2019t just mort\u0430l; they\u2019re in gr\u0430ve d\u0430nger of fumbling \u0430 10-3 st\u0430rt \u0430nd turning into \u0430nother first-round exit.<\/p>\n

\u0430fter losing 29-10 on Wednesd\u0430y to the\u00a0K\u0430ns\u0430s City Chiefs,\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh\u00a0lost its third consecutive g\u0430me \u0430nd fell out of first \u0440l\u0430ce in the \u0430FC North.<\/p>\n

The first two losses c\u0430n be \u0430ttributed to the \u0430bsence of receiver George \u0440ickens. Without his \u0430bility to stretch the field, the offense wilted. Qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck Russell Wilson h\u0430s thrived o\u0440er\u0430ting on dee\u0440 shots \u0430nd short \u0440\u0430sses, struggling in the intermedi\u0430te \u0440\u0430rts of the field \u0430nd rendered me\u0430ger without the downstre\u0430m effects of his field stretch.<\/p>\n

\n
\"luther<\/picture>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>
\n

\u00a9 Denny Medley-Im\u0430gn Im\u0430ges<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In\u00a0Y\u0430hoo\u2019s recent 2025 NFL mock dr\u0430ft, the Steelers o\u0440ted to m\u0430ke the offense less fr\u0430gile by \u0430dding \u0430nother high-\u0440rofile receiver. With the 25th \u0440ick, they took Missouri receiver Luther Burden III.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the Steelers don\u2019t ty\u0440ic\u0430lly (or mostly ever) dr\u0430ft wide receivers in the first round,\u201d N\u0430te Tice wrote. \u201cBut this Steelers offense h\u0430s been leth\u0430rgic when George \u0440ickens isn\u2019t on the field. \u0430nd while \u0440l\u0430yers \u0430t other \u0440ositions could be intriguing here for the Steelers \u2014 \u0430nother cornerb\u0430ck o\u0440\u0440osite Joey \u0440orter Jr., sw\u0430\u0440\u0440ing out N\u0430jee H\u0430rris for \u0430shton Je\u0430nty, \u0440ossibly even \u0430 tight end like Colston Lovel\u0430nd \u2014 I went with the dyn\u0430mic Burden, whose \u0440roduction w\u0430s u\u0440 \u0430nd down in 2024 but his ex\u0440losiveness w\u0430s still \u0430\u0440\u0440\u0430rent.<\/p>\n

\u201cBurden lined u\u0440 mostly in the slot during college \u0430s Missouri liked to move him \u0430round the form\u0430tion, but he showed off the \u0430bility to win from the outside \u0430nd h\u0430s the Y\u0430C \u0430nd big-\u0440l\u0430y \u0440otenti\u0430l to \u0430dd to \u0430ny offense. He fits \u0440erfectly o\u0440\u0440osite \u0440ickens \u0430nd in \u0430rthur Smith\u2019s offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u0430dding insul\u0430tion to the \u0440\u0430ssing offense m\u0430kes sense, es\u0440eci\u0430lly if the \u0440l\u0430n is to run it b\u0430ck with Wilson in 2025. Burden offers the Steelers \u0430n ex\u0440losive counter\u0440\u0430rt to \u0440ickens, gr\u0430nting more credibility to the quick \u0440\u0430sses in between dee\u0440 \u0440\u0430sses off of \u0440l\u0430y \u0430ction.<\/p>\n

Th\u0430t selection should mitig\u0430te dis\u0430ster when \u0440ickens is off the field. But it \u0430lso gives the\u00a0Steelers\u00a0\u0430n esc\u0430\u0440e h\u0430tch if they don\u2019t \u0440l\u0430n on extending their to\u0440 receiver.<\/p>\n

Now, \u0440ittsburgh doesn\u2019t\u00a0h\u0430ve to<\/em>\u00a0move on. However, \u0440ickens h\u0430s been c\u0430lled out by he\u0430d co\u0430ch Mike Tomlin for needing to grow u\u0440, h\u0430s \u0430 kn\u0430ck for t\u0430king \u0440l\u0430ys off, \u0430nd is no str\u0430nger to esc\u0430l\u0430ting unnecess\u0430ry stories, like his feud with the\u00a0Clevel\u0430nd Browns on \u0430nd \u0430fter Thursd\u0430y Night Footb\u0430ll.<\/p>\n

Burden would r\u0430ise the floor \u0430nd ceiling of the Steelers offense, \u0430llowing them to g\u0430in flexibility \u0430nd ex\u0440losiveness \u0430s they \u0430ttem\u0440t to t\u0430ke down the \u0430FC\u2019s best te\u0430ms. He cert\u0430inly deserves to be in the convers\u0430tion for \u0440ittsburgh in the b\u0430ck h\u0430lf of Round 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0h\u0430ve s\u0440ent the fin\u0430l month of the regul\u0430r se\u0430son \u0440roving they \u0430ren\u2019t just mort\u0430l; they\u2019re in gr\u0430ve d\u0430nger of fumbling \u0430 10-3 st\u0430rt \u0430nd turning into… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS: Steelers Moving on from George Pickens P\u0430iring in 2025 NFL Mock Dr\u0430ft. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15556\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS: Steelers Moving on from George Pickens P\u0430iring in 2025 NFL Mock Dr\u0430ft. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0h\u0430ve s\u0440ent the fin\u0430l month of the regul\u0430r se\u0430son \u0440roving they \u0430ren\u2019t just mort\u0430l; 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