The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a second-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft, after sending it to Seattle in exchange for DK Metcalf. Naturally, that’s created a tricky situation for George Pickens, who was WR1 in Pittsburgh during the 2024 season.
Without a second-rounder, and with a few positions they could stand to add to, especially early in the draft, many have questioned whether Pickens could be moved come Thursday. Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson thinks it’s certainly a possibility.
“I think a lot of people are looking at wide receiver options that could be on the table,” Robinson said on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday. “And I think a lot of people have assessed that Omar Khan will take calls on George Pickens.”
Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so the Steelers have a big decision to make before Thursday’s draft.
Option A, something that Omar Khan alluded to the team doing during his press conference on Tuesday, is to simply roll with Pickens for the 2025 season. Having Pickens and Metcalf on the same offense would give the team a great WR duo. Not to mention the solid depth behind them as well, in Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson.
The drawback here is that Pickens will be a free agent next offseason. The Steelers haven’t shown any interest in extending him so far. If he leaves for nothing, then Pittsburgh will have lost out on him for nothing. With that said, they’d still have the Metcalf-Pickens duo for a year.
Option B is to trade him, which would almost certainly happen in the draft. Pittsburgh would hope to get a Day 2 pick in return, which would recoup their loss from the Metcalf trade. Since the Steelers could be looking at the defensive line, quarterback, and running back all early in the draft, this gives them one extra opportunity to add to one of those spots.
The drawback here depends on what Pittsburgh uses that pick for. If they don’t add another receiver, they run the risk of having subpar depth at the position, yet again. Pittsburgh would have one excellent receiver in Metcalf, but there would be little depth behind him. That’s eerily similar to their situation with Pickens in 2024. Again, though, this scenario happens if Pittsburgh doesn’t take a receiver in the draft.
Regarding specific teams that could be interested in George Pickens, Robinson mentioned the Cowboys.
“Based on what I know Dallas is looking for, he [George Pickens] is a fit,” Robinson said. “…The Cowboys are hunting wide receivers. They want an elite-level No. 2… Teams are wondering if that’s George Pickens.”
The Cowboys would be an interesting destination. They certainly do need receiver help, but at the 12th overall selection, it’s a tricky spot. They might be too late to find a game-changer like Tetairoa McMillan. If he’s gone, taking the next-best receiver at that spot could be considered a reach. In that case, Pickens becomes an intriguing option for them.
This is the ultimate smokescreen season, just days before the draft. From Khan’s words, it doesn’t seem like moving Pickens is likely. Still, the draft can get crazy sometimes. Robinson seems to think Khan is ready to take calls on Pickens, which could make for a very interesting scenario this weekend.
