Until the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired DK Metcalf in a trade, wide receiver was a priority position to fill early in the NFL Draft.
It still could be — depending on what the Steelers do with George Pickens.
If the Steelers trade Pickens to recoup the second-round pick they gave up in the Metcalf deal, wide receiver reverts to a position of need.
If the Steelers keep Pickens for a fourth season — general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin have indicated that is their preference — then adding a wide receiver becomes less urgent for 2025.
Still, with Pickens and Calvin Austin III each entering the final year of their rookie contracts, the Steelers could use a pick in this draft on a receiver to build for the future. Metcalf, Roman Wilson, who missed virtually all his rookie season, and special teamer Ben Skowronek remain the only receivers signed beyond this year.
“I’m open to anything if it makes sense for us,” Khan said last month at the NFL annual meeting.
The Steelers have brought in four receivers among the 27 prospects they have hosted on official top-30 visits. That includes one with a first-round grade, Texas’ Matthew Golden. The others — Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel and TCU’s Savion Williams — are second-day possibilities.
Waiting until the second or early on the third day to take a might not be a bad decision, according to draft analysts.
“Depth is good in the second and third round,” ESPN’s Jordan Reid said. “There is a bit of a drop-off after that. There’s also not that marquee name at receiver.”
In its annual rankings of the draft’s deepest positions, NFL.com listed wide receiver as No. 6 out of 11 — or squarely in the middle.
Which is why the draft is unlikely to follow in the footsteps of 2024 when Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze were top-10 picks. Nobody who has played exclusively as a receiver has that high of a grade in this class, with Golden, Arizona’s Tet McMillan, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and possibly Missouri’s Luther Burden III considered mid-to-late first-round possibilities.
“You could have four receivers go in the first round, or just Golden and McMillan,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said. “There are a lot of mixed opinions on those guys.”
The exception is Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado, a two-way threat who will be among the top-five players taken. His NFL future is projected at cornerback, although he could play some on offense.
“I would play him at corner and give him 15-20 plays in the red zone and on third down,” former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum said.
The Steelers scouted Golden at Texas’ pro day in addition to bringing him to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for a visit. After spending two seasons and making 17 starts at Houston, Golden transferred to Texas. In his lone season with the Longhorns, he had a team-high 987 receiving yards, and he caught nine touchdown passes.
At the NFL Combine, Golden flashed impressive speed when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds, the second-fastest time recorded at the event and the best by a receiver.
“He’s a go-to guy who doesn’t drop anything,” Reid said. “He saved quarterbacks a lot of times there with inaccurate passes. At the combine, he helped himself a lot.”
McMillan started three seasons at Arizona before departing for the draft. He was a first-team All-American in 2024 when he had a team-high 84 catches and ranked third nationally with 1,319 receiving yards.
“He’s a wild card,” Kiper said. “He’s a Drake London-type of receiver, but it’s tough to project when he’ll go.”
Egbuka spent four seasons at Ohio State and led the Buckeyes with 81 catches for 1,011 yards on their run to the national championship last year. He and Golden share a trait that makes them top prospects, according to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.
“I’ve become kind of obsessed with receivers with the thought and keeping an eye out for guys who are grounded through the catch, guys who really trust their hands and run through the ball,” he said. “I just put more importance on that. You just see the really great receivers in the NFL have that trait, that quality, that confidence in their hands and that allows them to do so much after the catch.”