ATHENS — Two things in particular stood out at UGA Pro Day on Wednesday. One was George Pickens running smooth pass routes and snatching the ball out of the air as he has done so well during his Georgia career. The other was quarterback Carson Beck slinging the ball to him.
Pickens coming back from an ACL tear late last season remains one of the more remarkable feats of the Bulldogs’ national championship run. No, Pickens wasn’t the difference-maker he was in the other 22 games he played during his college career. But just the fact that he was back in action eight months removed from ligament reconstruction was amazing. That diving catch in the national championship game was pretty good, too. Right?
But Wednesday, working out before 122 NFL scouts, Pickens truly looked like his old self. At that point, his stated mission of getting himself back into position for an early call in the NFL draft was completed.
“I’ve always been like that, to be honest,” Pickens said. “I’ve just had one of the mindsets to where, like, I can’t be stopped. I want to prove everybody else wrong. I want to show people I can actually do it rather than talk about it.”
With Wednesday’s workout, Pickens seemed to prove that he is 100% recovered and back to his old self. And that, he believes, is worthy of first-round consideration. That remains a long shot, but the mystery now is only how long he might have to wait to hear his name called.
As part of his workout, Pickens had the opportunity to choose any quarterback he wanted to throw him passes Wednesday. He could have chosen Stetson Bennett, JT Daniels or anyone. He went with Beck, the rising junior from Jacksonville.
“I was training with Carson in 2020, my sophomore year, that COVID year. He came in and he was ripping it. Like, he's always had that rip. Some quarterbacks have touch here or here; he'll just let it go. And that's really what I like because I can catch."
Asked why, Pickens said because Beck “rips it.”
“I was training with Carson in 2020, my sophomore year, that COVID year,” Pickens said. “He came in and he was ripping it. Like, he’s always had that rip. Some quarterbacks have touch here or here; he’ll just let it go. And that’s really what I like because I can catch.”
Beck entered spring practice this week as the Bulldogs’ No. 2 quarterback behind Bennett. But his long-term future with the team is unclear as redshirt freshman Brock Vandagriff and freshman Gunner Stockton continue to develop.
Beck was thought to be the heir apparent to Daniels last year. But he was beaten out by Bennett the week Daniels was sidelined with a back injury, and he appeared in only four games last season. Now he’s battling Vandagriff and Stockton for reps as Bennett returned for a sixth college season.
Coach Kirby Smart said making sure all three get adequate opportunities is the greatest challenge.
“We’re trying to be innovative, creative in the way we practice, because quarterback development is critical,” Smart said Tuesday. “If you have quarterbacks that aren’t able to get reps, how do they get better? So, I’m challenging our staff to be creative in the ways we rep those guys, who goes with what groups, how many reps a week (they) get, what percentages. We want to see these guys get better. …
“It’s hard to get those guys enough work, wanting to see those guys improve. They can’t all play, so it’s a matter of growing them to get them in a position to where they can be successful.”
As for Georgia’s future at wide receiver, Pickens believes the Bulldogs will be in good hands with Adonai Mitchell succeeding him at split end.
“AD (has) some stuff you can’t coach,” Pickens said. “He’s got the skills, he’s got the mindset, the routes, the speed, I mean, he’s got it all. So, he probably is the next up-comer. And I’m glad that he got to see me before I left, so he can kind of understand.”
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