Comparisons are quite common in the NFL as every year a new player ends up impressing everyone with his performance. This time, the subjects of comparison were wide receivers, Justin Jefferson and George Pickens. It’s almost unlikely that someone would choose Pickens over Jefferson. However, NFL analyst Ryan Clark recently made this controversial choice.
Recently, Barstool Sports posted a video on X in which Clark was choosing who’s better between the two wide receivers. The caption with the video stated, “George Pickens is much more talented than Justin Jefferson”. These were the exact words of Clark in the video. However, the choice seems to be quite irrational, and it shocked the other analysts as well as the fans.
The Pittsburgh Steelers star Pickens indeed had an exceptional rookie year after the team drafted him last year. He received 801 yards, with 52 receptions and 4 touchdowns. The young talent rushed for 24 yards with 1 rushing touchdown. But, no matter how good he was, he’s nowhere close to Justin Jefferson.
After the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in 2020, the wide receiver shocked everyone with his talent. The star player has 4825 yards receiving yards, with 324 receptions, and 25 touchdowns in his NFL career. Justin Jefferson even won the 2022 NFL offensive player of the year. Moreover, he has 3 Pro Bowls in his 3-year career already.
Keeping the game stats of Jefferson and Pickens in mind, it’s difficult to understand why Clark chose the latter. From a general point of view, the clear winner between the two is the Vikings star, Justin Jefferson.
What did Ryan Clark exactly say about Justin Jefferson?
Ever since Ryan Clark decided to go with George Pickens over Justin Jefferson, fans have been enraged. However, at the same time, people need to remember that everyone has a different perspective. Though the analyst mentioned that “Jefferson understands everything”, he feels that Pickens is more talented than him.
“George Pickens is much more talented than Justin Jefferson. Justin Jefferson understands everything about playing the position: stems, leverage, he can catch the football. He’s a savant”, he said.
Clark further gave a reason for his choice as well. He mentioned that the Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told him how easy things have been with Pickens. The analyst also said that everyone on the team loves the “attitude” of the wide receiver. He further added that it’s his approach to the game that makes him great at his job.
“But here’s the other thing. Coach [Mike] Tomlin told me something that I thought was great. They said, they didn’t even work to tolerate him, and they certainly didn’t try to raise him at Georgia… But now, at Pittsburgh… the entire team loves his attitude, loves the way he approaches his job…,” he said.
There’s no doubt that Justin Jefferson is much ahead of George Pickens in terms of their NFL performance till now. However, it seems that Clark chose Pickens between the two on a ground other than their game stats.