Sometimes, General Managers take gambles in professional sports. Those gambles don't always pay off, and that's exactly what has happened to Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan this season. He traded George Pickens away and swung around to pay DK Metcalf handsomely. Pickens is having a terrific campaign in Dallas, while Metcalf deals with a struggling offense throughout the schedule.
The hope was that one of the younger receivers would step up, and with Khan's strong draft classes, many thought it would happen.
The opposite has occurred. Pittsburgh's offense has relied heavily on its tight ends to try to balance out the lack of weapons at the receiver spot. It has forced them to add players like Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in an attempt to apply a temporary fix.
In truth, Khan gambled that Metcalf would replace Pickens with a lesser headache in the locker room, and either Calvin Austin III, or preferably, Roman Wilson would emerge as a top target. Neither Austin nor Wilson has done that. You knew what you had with Austin going into the campaign, but Wilson was a player with a ton of hype who had a fantastic preseason, creating high expectations.
Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan might have a draft bust on his hands thanks to WR Roman Wilson
Despite a high reputation forming around Khan in his draft classes since becoming the general manager, not every pick has been a strike of brilliance. He has missed some selections, which happens often. Not all of his misses are a knock on him, but it has become pretty evident that Wilson might be heading towards draft bust territory. A direct indictment of Khan's draft plans.
Wilson was a third-round pick by the Steelers during the 2024 NFL Draft. Many praised the choice at the time as the Michigan product produced a strong pre-draft process and appeared to be terrific value then. During his rookie campaign, Wilson got injured early in the preseason schedule and missed his first year in Pittsburgh. He seemed prepared to bounce back, but that didn't happen.
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The opportunity was there for the taking for the second-year player, but nothing has materialized into results. It's clear that Wilson has found ways to get open during his chances on the field, but he has been a healthy scratch several times during the final stretch of the season. Falling behind Thielen and Valdes-Scantling is not a good look.
Khan could be kissing his 2024 3rd-rounder goodbye this offseason.
It's ok to miss on some draft picks once in a while, especially when you form strong classes around them. Wilson is running out of time to fix his early career struggles. If he gets chances to rebound, he must take advantage of them. Failing to do so could result in his failing to stick in the NFL. Wilson could become the first massive draft bust under Khan's direction as the Steelers' general manager.