If you follow the clues throughout the pre-draft process, it’s usually pretty easy to pin down which position and even which small group of players the Pittsburgh Steelers are targeting in the first round of the draft. This year should be no different with free agency signings, pre-draft visits, and the Pro Day trail telling the story.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo thinks there is a pretty clear order of priorities with the first-round pick down to just two possible positions.
“I don’t think the Jaxson Dart thing or the [Shadeur] Sanders thing is gonna happen,” Fittipaldo said via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show on Wednesday. “Pretty much down to receiver and D-line and I think the only way a receiver would be in play at 21 is if they’re gonna turn around and trade George [Pickens] on draft day. So I think that’s a possibility.”
Whether or not the Steelers plan on trading Pickens is up for debate. If it does happen, it would likely be during the draft. This year’s receiver class in the draft is not nearly as strong as last year. If the Steelers manage to sign Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback, I would be slightly surprised if Pickens gets moved. If he is, then you can absolutely consider receiver a real possibility in the first round.
So far there have been three reported pre-draft visits with receivers. Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins as well as TCU’s Savion Williams. None of those players are considered locks for the first round. That being said, they did meet with multiple potential first-round receivers at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine and there are still plenty of pre-draft visits yet to happen.
The combine meetings included Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor, Texas’ Matthew Golden, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, and Ole Miss’ Tre Harris. If some of those players start to come in for pre-draft visits, that could indicate the Steelers are keeping their options open for potentially trading Pickens.
Even if the Steelers trade Pickens, I would hope that returns either a second or third-round pick in return. At that point, I would probably still lean towards a defensive lineman in the first round and a receiver in the second or third. Even with Darius Slay, I don’t know that cornerback can be fully discounted either.
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