George Pickens is a Dallas Cowboy. Had the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft broken a little differently, he might still be a Pittsburgh Steeler. Explaining how yesterday’s deal went down, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport painted a scenario in which a trade never would’ve occurred.
“If Tetairoa McMillan was there at 12, maybe this trade wouldn’t have happened,” Rapoport said Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think it probably wouldn’t have. But they didn’t get the receiver they wanted. They make the trade, get a big receiver, too.”
It was no secret Dallas entered the draft looking for receiver help opposite star CeeDee Lamb. In a down class that lacked typical receiver talent, McMillan was viewed as the top prospect on the board. A large frame at 6-4, 219 pounds with 10-inch hands, he displayed smooth route running and was highly productive in college, posting back-to-back 1,300-yard seasons.
But McMillan didn’t make it to the Cowboys’ pick at No. 12. Instead, the Carolina Panthers snatched him up at No. 8. QB Bryce Young influenced the pick, working out with McMillan in the weeks leading up to the draft and urging the Panthers to select him.
With McMillan off the board and the Cowboys ostensibly not interested enough in the likes of Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Texas’ Matthew Golden, Dallas punted on drafting the position. Instead, they struck a deal with the Steelers, sending next year’s third and a 2027 fifth for Pickens and a 2027 sixth.
The question that can never be answered is Pickens’ fate had Dallas taken McMillan or another first-round receiver. Were the Steelers hell-bent on trading him? What other suitors would they have had, and would the price tag have been the same? The later a deal would’ve been made, the harder it would’ve been for Pittsburgh to find his replacement unless it is confident in internal options Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson.
The NFL is a study in domino effect. One move gets made and spurs several others. In this case, the move that didn’t happen was the catalyst to Pickens now calling Dallas home.
