George Pickens drama could force the Pittsburgh Steelers into an NFL Draft surprise

George Pickens' time in Pittsburgh may be running out. Three years into his Pittsburgh Steelers tenure, and the mercurial wide receiver out of Georgia is starting to make more enemies than friends. Yes, the Steelers are not a buttoned-up franchise right now, due in large part to head coach Mike Tomlin. Since his is perpetually given carte blanche to do whatever he wants, then Pickens must go!

That is why when I stumbled across Dane Brugler's latest NFL mock draft for The Athletic, I was not all that surprised to see the Steelers taking Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with their No. 21 overall selection. To me, Egbuka might already be off the board before when the Steelers are picking, but he seems to fit the ethos and culture of what it means to be a Steeler more than Pickens ever did.

Truth be told, I do not know if a player even as talented as Egbuka is solves all of the Steelers' ongoing offensive issues. I do not even think moving off Arthur Smith in a few years will solve them all either. What I am getting at is winning between nine and 13 games every season, but never winning a playoff game has the Steelers settling for mediocre draft picks in every round. Simply, win big or go home!

For my money, the Steelers are better served addressing another area at No. 21 than wide receiver.

Ohio State Buckeyes WR Emeka Egbuka mocked to Pittsburgh Steelers

Here is where I stand when it comes to Pickens. He is a former second-round pick out of a traditional power. He has had his ups and downs with the Steelers, but it is abundantly clear that the Steelers miscast him as a No. 1 when he could be an incredible No. 2 wide receiver. This is supposed to be an area of strength for this franchise. They usually nail their draft picks, hardly dipping into free agency.

To say Pickens was a bust might be a tad harsh. He was still a better pick than grossly reaching on Kenny Pickett out of Pitt in the first round of the same draft. What I would do is wait another year to address wide receiver quite like this in the draft. Let Pickens force his way out of town either trade or in free agency for a deal the Steelers are not willing to match. Go get your next guy in 2026.

Let's be real. The Steelers are not going to be a Super Bowl team until the get a franchise quarterback akin to what Ben Roethlisberger was in his prime. I would argue that the Steelers are not a Super Bowl team until they hire a new head coach. Since Tomlin appears to have more control over the Steelers than even Jerry Jones does over the Dallas Cowboys, I would not be shocked if Egbuka is the pick.

Egbuka is every bit a first-round pick, but I tend to believe he will be off the board long before No. 21.