Insider: Steelers Would Love to Have This One Draft Prospect
NFL Insider James Palmer speculates that George Pickens is on the trade block. If that is the case, he thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers would love to have Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins.
“There’s a lot of people who believe George Pickens’ time is limited,” Palmer said during a livestream for Bleacher Report. “It’s why they did the DK [Metcalf] deal. It’s why they paid DK what they did. You don’t pay both of them that. Do they look for a high-volume No. 2 guy like a Jayden Higgins? Man, would they love to have him. I know they would love to have him.”
The Steelers brought in Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden in for a pre-draft visit. That got one unnamed former NFL general manager thinking that dealing Pickens is on the agenda.
“The Steelers are open for business on George Pickens,” the former GM said, according to Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan. “That’s why they brought in [Matthew Golden] for a visit.”
The Steelers also hosted Higgins for a pre-draft visit last month.
Higgins is a 6-foot-4 1/8, 214-pound wide receiver that is generally considered to be a day two pick. He’s currently No. 65 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.
The Steelers first scouted Higgins at the 2025 Senior Bowl, where he stood out both for his physical size and speed and his combat catch abilities.
He continued his strong offseason by a standout performance at the 2025 NFL Combine. Higgins ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and posted a 39-inch vertical — on top of his 33-inch arm length — and a 10-foot-8 broad jump. He recorded an overall Relative Athletic Score of 9.92 out of 10.
A South Miami, Florida native, Higgins transferred to ISU in 2023 after two seasons at Eastern Kentucky at the FCS level. He had two strong seasons with the Cyclones, recording 983 yards and six touchdowns in 2023 and 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns this past season.
At the NFL owners meetings, general manager Omar Khan hinted the Steelers are interested in making a trade to get themselves back into the second round.
Moving Pickens seems to be the best case scenario for that to occur.
“I would say, I think you guys have gotten to know me over the last couple years. I think all options are table,” Khan said. “Staying put, moving up, moving back. I’m open to anything if it makes sense for us.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this story.