Before the season, Georgia football had some questions at wide receiver. Surprisingly, it’s been two true freshmen who’ve answered the call thus far in 2019.
Georgia football lost a lot of talent in their receiving room this past offseason.
Multiple of Jake Fromm’s top targets went on to the NFL, including Mecole Hardman, Terry Godwin, Isaac Nauta, and Riley Ridley.
In addition to this, his only top returning wide receiver, Jeremiah Holloman, was released from the team after it was revealed that he had been the subject of an assault investigation.
The only player that finished top five in targets returning is a running back, D’Andre Swift. It was fair to assume that this season could see some growing pains at the wide receiver position.
While there have been some hiccups, two aerial threats have emerged from the cluster of options in dramatic fashion.
In a stunning turn of events, it was two true freshmen who have seem to emerge as two of the top three wide receivers on the team.
Not senior wideout Tyler Simmons or graduate transfer Lawrence Cager, who many thought would emerge. No; but instead it has been two true freshmen by the names of George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock.
Pickens and Blaylock both had some hype coming into the year, but many thought that they would not see the field much their first year because, in the past under head coach Kirby Smart, freshman wideouts haven’t been the most productive players.
However, Pickens and Blaylock have seemingly left the coaching staff no choice but to throw the two out onto the field by simply being too good not to play.
Pickens first started gaining steam as a potential wide receiver that could see the field early on in his Bulldog career after a video was leaked of him making a stunning catch along the sideline during a Georgia summer practice.
I’m sure you’ve seen the video by now, but if you haven’t, you can find it by clicking here. Once that started making the rounds, it was only a matter of time before his name was being hyped up all over Dawg Nation.
But not to be outdone, fellow true freshman Blaylock (who had not been building up the same kind of hype) has been just as crucial in bringing stability to the wide receiver position this year. Blaylock started the year slow, not having an impact in the Vanderbilt game but got some reps with the first-team offense in game two and made the best of it by grabbing three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Pickens also didn’t have an impact in the Vanderbilt game but showed big time against Murray State by grabbing four receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.
However, the best play from him in the game was on a deep 43-yard pass by Fromm that was slightly overthrown. Pickens was not about to let that stop him from catching the ball though as he went full extension and brought down the pass cleanly, shocking everyone watching the play.
It was a thing of beauty.
However, it was this past week against Arkansas State that both receivers got to go with Fromm and the first-team offense, and both guys had highlight-reel plays and impressive stat lines.
Pickens was the more heavily targeted of the two by bringing in five receptions for 84 yards, while Blaylock had the better end-game stat line brought in four catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Both of the wideouts had impressive grabs that are worthy of going on the highlight reel. Pickens brought in a toe-tapping catch on the sideline that displayed his boundary awareness, athleticism, hands, and ability to make NFL-like catches.
It seems like spectacular catches could become a weekly thing for the freshman wideout at Georgia.
Blaylock made sure not to be outdone however by showing how well of a route runner he is by getting open in front of these secondary and then took off with blinding speed to beat the defensive backs into the end-zone from 60 yards out.
Pickens and Blaylock have both shown that they have a very high ceiling with untapped potential that is just starting to show.
While they have both done their damage against lesser competition, I still think that they can and will continue their brilliance against the bigger and better game, starting this week against Notre Dame.
Pickens’ size and speed combination along with his ability to control his body on the boundaries, will give defenses nightmares and could make him nearly unstoppable once he gets a year under his belt.
As for this year, Pickens will continue to show flashes, and while he may struggle some against SEC competition, he will still excel for a true freshman. Expect Pickens to be a widely accepted top wide receiver in the nation as early as next year.
Blaylock doesn’t have quite the size that Pickens does, but he is faster and seems to be able to gain a little bit more separation thus far in his college career.
His combination of speed and release off the line is what gives him a step up on defenders and what lets him turn an intermediate pass into a 60-yard catch and run touchdown.
While they will most likely not have flawless years as a true freshman, both George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock will exit this season with a great deal of hype for what they can bring to the table next year once they have more experience. No matter how you look at it, the future (and present) of the Georgia Bulldogs’ wide receivers are in good hands.