The wide receiver position has been an interesting one to watch for the Steelers over the last couple of seasons. Last year, Pittsburgh had George Pickens, an occasional big play from Calvin Austin III, and really nothing else at the position. With only one playmaker on the outside, the Steelers really struggled to get the passing game going toward the end of the year.
Things appeared to have improved this offseason after the Steelers sent a second-round pick to Seattle for DK Metcalf. Having both of Metcalf and Pickens on the field at the same time surely would have opened up the offense. Unfortunately, we won’t get a chance to see it. Pittsburgh traded Pickens on Wednesday, a move that surprised Steelers insider Gerry Dulac since the team didn’t prioritize the position in the draft.
“They’re almost basically back to where they were before they got Metcalf,” Dulac said Wednesday on 102.5 WDVE. “One wide receiver, and let’s see how the other guys do. They really like Roman Wilson. But they haven’t seen him on the field. And you know, Calvin Austin is okay. But this is why I was a little surprised they didn’t draft a wide receiver, knowing in their mind that they were gonna get rid of George Pickens before the season began.”
While the timing of the trade is odd, it’s not as if it came out of the blue. The Steelers reportedly had conversations about trading Pickens during the draft. Since they would have gotten draft capital in return, it could have made more sense to trade him then and use the picks on players who can make an impact in 2025.
However, the Steelers clearly have other things in mind. For one, they seem to be targeting the 2026 draft, which is in Pittsburgh, to land their quarterback of the future. Acquiring draft capital for 2026 instead of 2025 allows them more ammunition to trade up, if necessary. Also, the Cowboys reportedly upped their offer after the draft, which would have further enticed Pittsburgh to make the trade.
Even with all of that considered why not draft a receiver? You can explain away the weird timing of the trade. Not drafting a receiver is much harder to justify.
The Steelers made good use of their draft picks. They took two defensive linemen and an outside linebacker with their first four selections and added running back Kaleb Johnson as well. However, if they knew they were going to trade George Pickens, why not consider that position a need?
Assuming Aaron Rodgers signs with the Steelers, the receiver position is now the biggest hole on the roster. The Steelers also find themselves in the exact same situation this year as last. They have one proven wide receiver in Metcalf. Then, there’s plenty of WR3s and WR4s, but no WR2.
The main difference is that Roman Wilson is healthy this year. Pittsburgh is going to need him to have a big season, assuming it doesn’t make any more additions. However, asking a player who hasn’t had a pass thrown his way at the NFL level to step into the WR2 role is a tall ask. The Steelers have now put themselves in a situation where they may not have any other choice.
