Author: Ryland Bickley

Pickens says he didn’t force his way out of Pittsburgh.

George Pickens’ time on the Steelers’ roster wasn’t exactly drama-free, but the new Cowboys wide receiver told beat writers Tuesday that he never requested a trade.

Pittsburgh dealt Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Dallas on Wednesday for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder.

While Pickens says he never asked for a trade, there were still signs of dissatisfaction during his time in Pittsburgh.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this month that Pickens had “flirted” with a trade request, but ultimately wanted to stay a Steeler. However, Pickens’ time with the team had been marred with in-game outbursts, reportedly showing up late to a game, and antics such as unfollowing the team on social media.

It’s unclear how much of the trade had to do with Pickens as a locker room fit versus as a financial decision, as Pickens is entering the last year of his rookie deal. In the rumors swirling ahead of the trade, insiders had pointed to both, saying that the Steelers didn’t want to pay two wide receivers after adding D.K. Metcalf, and that there were “behind the scenes” issues between the team and the player.

Pickens, now on the Cowboys, focused on the future over the past in his introductory press conference. “I just … continue to grow,” he said via DLLS Cowboys’ Joseph Hoyt. “I feel like everyone in the world has to grow. … I’m just trying to build a winning culture, which they already have at the Cowboys. I’m just glad to be joining it.”

The Steelers have a whopping 12 projected picks in 2026 — do they have what it takes to land their next franchise quarterback?

The city of Pittsburgh will be hosting the 2026 NFL Draft, and the hometown Steelers will be on the stage a lot.

Following the Steelers’ trade of George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys (Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick for the Cowboys’ 2026 third-rounder and 2027 fifth-rounder), the Steelers are projected to have a whopping 12 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Steelers projected 2026 NFL Draft picks

• First-round pick
• Second-round pick
• Third-round pick (via Dallas)
• Third-round pick
• Third-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Fourth-round pick
• Fourth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Fifth-round pick
• Fifth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Sixth-round pick
• Sixth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Seventh-round pick

The compensatory picks are predicted using NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s projections. The comp pick formula isn’t available to the public, and contract incentives (such as those in Russell Wilson’s Giants contract) could further help the Steelers.

Can the Steelers use their 2026 picks to trade up for a quarterback?

The Steelers won’t be able to make a sizable jump up in the first round with just their handful of 2026 third-rounders. They’d need to use current or future second-round picks and/or their 2027 first-round pick, and even then, teams like the Cleveland Browns, which hold two 2026 first-rounders, are going to have more ammo to move up.

A lot depends on how Pittsburgh finishes the 2025 season, of course. Moving up from the 20s to the top 10 is certainly doable (it cost Pittsburgh a second-rounder and future third to move from No. 20 to No. 10 for Devin Bush in 2019) — but getting into the top five range is ridiculously expensive.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars had to spend their second-round pick, fourth-round pick, and future first-round pick to move up just three spots from No. 5 to No. 2 in the first round (Jacksonville did receive the Browns’ fourth- and sixth-round picks in that trade).

Moving up for a franchise quarterback won’t be cheap, especially if there’s a bidding war.

However, the Steelers have more than enough 2026 draft capital to easily move up a few slots in the first round. In 2024, the Vikings traded up twice in the first round: Swapping a fourth- and fifth-round pick for a sixth-round pick to move up from No. 11 to No. 10 to draft J.J. McCarthy, and then they sent a fifth-round pick and a future third and fourth to jump from No. 23 to No. 17 to draft Dallas Turner.

If the 2026 quarterback class is deep enough to have some first-round passers fall out of the top five, the Steelers can reasonably move up to get their guy.

Plus, having a surplus of picks in the 2026 draft means the Steelers would be more willing to trade away capital — it’s easier to part ways with a second-round pick knowing the team still has three Day 2 picks available.

Again, everything depends on how the Steelers finish in 2025, how many teams are looking for a franchise quarterback in 2026, and how deep the upcoming quarterback class really is. Nothing is certain, but Pittsburgh looks poised for a monster draft class in a year.