Could NFC East team trade for Steelers' George Pickens before, during NFL Draft?

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones raised some eyebrows when he recently hinted that his club could complete "two pretty substantive trades" before, during or after the 2025 NFL Draft that gets underway on Thursday night. 

It sounds like Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is among the possible targets for the Cowboys. 

"I think a lot of people are looking at wide receiver options that could be on the table," NFL reporter Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports said during a Tuesday appearance on Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan, as shared by Jake Brockhoff of Steelers Depot. "And I think a lot of people have assessed that (Steelers general manager) Omar Khan will take calls on George Pickens. ...The Cowboys are hunting wide receivers. They want an elite-level No. 2 (to play alongside CeeDee Lamb)."

It's no secret the Cowboys began Wednesday on track to select a wide receiver with a high-value draft pick. For a piece published on Wednesday morning, Cowboys reporter Todd Archer of ESPN predicted that Dallas will grab Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan with the 12th pick of this year's player-selection process. Around the same time that piece went public, Dianna Russini of The Athletic linked the Cowboys with McMillan and Texas receiver Matthew Golden.

While Pickens has given Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin numerous headaches since the spring of 2022, the 24-year-old has also shown plenty of promise as a pro. Per ESPN stats, he led the 2024 Steelers with 103 targets and 900 receiving yards. He was second on the team with 59 receptions and third with three touchdown catches. 

Outside of concerns related to his personality, the fact that Pickens is in the final year of his rookie contract could cause a receiver-needy team such as the Cowboys to look for an upgrade at the position via the draft. 

For what it's worth, Khan hinted during his predraft news conference that the Steelers may not accept a second-round pick in return for Pickens after Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and then handed Metcalf a five-year deal worth $150M earlier this offseason. 

"We're glad we have George and DK here," Khan said at that time, per Andrew Vasquez of Steelers Wire/USA Today. "I think they're going to be exciting for everyone to watch."