After the Pittsburgh Steelers traded WR George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys Wednesday morning, a huge void was created in the wide receiver corps. Pickens was expected to be WR2 in Pittsburgh behind DK Metcalf, who Pittsburgh acquired this offseason from the Seattle Seahawks, forming a formidable 1-2 punch at wideout. However, there was speculation that Pickens could be dealt this offseason prior to or during the 2025 NFL Draft as he was entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Behind Metcalf, Pittsburgh currently has Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Robert Woods, Scotty Miller, and Ben Skowronek on the depth chart. Austin was the second-leading receiver on the team last year (not counting TE Pat Freiermuth), posting 548 yards on 36 receptions with four scores. He is set up to resume a similar role in 2025, but he arguably isn’t the receiver who needs to step up the most now that George Pickens is gone.
That expectation falls on Roman Wilson, who is entering the second year of his contract, although it technically will be his first real playing time after coming off an injury-riddled season in 2024, where he only played five offensive snaps and had zero receptions as a rookie. However, the team has continued to back Wilson throughout the offseason with HC Mike Tomlin saying that it’s reasonable to expect “really good things for him” in his second year. The national media is backing that statement as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that the team is counting on a Year 2 jump from Wilson, stating that he looks like a different player than a year ago, fully healthy.
A third-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Wilson was drafted 84th overall by Pittsburgh, one of two selections by the Steelers in the third round (LB Payton Wilson at 98th overall). Having conducted the scouting report on Wilson for the site, the traits that stood out about Wilson coming out of Michigan were his route running prowess, his athleticism to win down the field vertically, and after the catch. He’s a smaller receiver (5104, 186 pounds), but he has good speed and quickness, having run a 4.39 40 at the NFL Combine while routinely shaking defenders out of their cleats during a week of practices at the Senior Bowl.
Wilson is more of a slot build as a pass catcher, using his quickness to separate from defensive backs over the middle of the field. He has experience playing outside, but Pittsburgh will be tested by deploying him and Austin together on the field, as both can interchange between the slot and playing on the perimeter.
Wilson also does a good job helping in the run game as a blocker. Living by the mantra “no block, no rock,” he gives everything he’s got to get a body on a defender and looks to maintain his block from snap to whistle.
Wilson was regarded as a better prospect coming out of the draft than Austin was back in 2022, and many believed that he would be counted on to help fill the shoes of the loss of Diontae Johnson last season, who was traded to the Carolina Panthers. While he missed nearly his entire rookie season, Wilson has the most to prove going into 2025 as the team needs someone to step up in the room without George Pickens.
At this point, we know what Austin is as a quality WR3-4, but likely isn’t a long-term solution at WR2. Robert Woods is in the twilight of his career, and Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek are more journeymen who fill out the roster. Pittsburgh still could look to the outside to help fill the void left by George Pickens, but Wilson is the guy in-house who has the most to gain from this trade, and will have every opportunity to do so this season should he stay healthy.
