Rams Were Smart to Stay Away From Controversial Receiver

The Dallas Cowboys made a surprise decision, trading their 2026th third round pick and 2027th seventh round pick for George Pickens and a 2027th sixth round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Rams were searching for a receiver in the NFL Draft, reportedly making calls for both Tetairoa McMillian and Emeka Egbuka. Considering the Rams made multiple trades throughout the draft, they came out on the other side in great shape by not making a move for Pickens.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, teams "laughed" at the idea of making a draft day move for Pickens, even if they could have acquired him without giving up much value.

"Word leaked during the draft that Pickens was available if anyone wanted him. Some teams polled by The Athletic at the time laughed at the idea of inviting Pickens into their locker room for any price, let alone a second-day draft pick. There wasn't a lot of interest in talking with the Steelers about a trade,"

The Rams under Les Snead have made a variety of eyebrow raising trades. Some of them have been hits, some have been misses. Pickens would have been so far of a miss, it would have been a critical talking point of the legacy of Snead and Sean McVay.

Quite frankly, very few people in Pittsburgh seemed to want to deal with Pickens. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan's lack of care regarding the move shines clearly through their words.

"We also had some conversations with George's agent, Dave (Mulugheta), who I have a good relationship with," Khan said. "We discussed where things have been with George, where they are and where things could go with George. And this trade made sense for everyone. … We just felt that a fresh start for both sides was the right thing."

“I’m not going to add any color to it other than what Omar told you guys yesterday," Tomlin told reporters. "We thought it was best and timely for all parties involved. Really, I’m just focused on the opportunity that is this weekend for the rookies.”

The kicker is that Pickens' ball skills, skills that periodically reveal themselves, are the same skills possessed by Rams' seventh-round pick Konata Mumpfield.

While we have to wait and see what the Rams have in Mumpfield, the Rams already know they didn't bring in a locker room cancer and that's why the move they didn't make was the smartest of them all.