The Pittsburgh Steelers are without a second-round pick after the trade to acquire WR DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. While that filled one big hole on the roster, it leaves Pittsburgh in a difficult spot with a long gap after their first-round pick. According to Adam Schefter, George Pickens could be among the draft-day trade candidates.

In his annual pre-draft buzz file on ESPN with insider insights from around the league, Schefter listed several players that could potentially be dealt during the draft. Among the players on rookie contracts that could be “deemed expendable” was George Pickens.

If the Steelers really want to get back into the second round of the draft, or at least walk out of Day Two having made three picks, Pickens is their best chance of doing so.

The speculation about dealing Pickens started during the 2024 season. This offseason would have been the time to give him a long-term contract with one year remaining on his rookie deal, but some of his maturity issues made that seem like less of a possibility. He is scheduled to enter free agency next offseason, which gives the Steelers a few options.

Pickens can be dealt now to maximize 2025 draft capital. He can also be dealt at the trade deadline if the season plays out poorly, but his value on a seven-game rental wouldn’t be as high. Finally, they can let him play out his rookie contract and hope for a third-round compensatory return in the 2027 NFL Draft if he signs a big contract elsewhere. Of course the third option carries more risk as a significant injury could derail his compensatory value.

When the Steelers gave Metcalf a big-money contract extension after trading for him, an eventual Pickens extension felt unlikely.

The WR class in this upcoming draft isn’t being viewed as very strong. If a team misses on one of the top two or three options and gets desperate for WR help, that could obviously help George Pickens’ trade value.

If Aaron Rodgers was on the roster, I would lean towards keeping Pickens to give him a strong receiving corps. If the Steelers are forced to head into the season with Mason Rudolph and a rookie as their top two options, then it probably makes more sense to deal Pickens.

If Pickens is moved, they are right back where they started with needing a WR2 on the roster. Receiver would be bumped up the Steelers’ list of priorities in the draft, but it would open up the Steelers’ possibilities significantly with way more flexibility over the first two days.