The Pittsburgh Steelers front office hardly finished high-fiving each other after the DK Metcalf trade before the top-30 pre-draft visits started rolling in. After meeting with impressive running back prospects like DJ Giddens, Dylan Sampson, and Bhayshul Tuten, the Steelers looked poised to go with a running back in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
But don't be so quick to rule out wide receiver early in the draft.
Despite the addition of Metcalf, the Steelers could still use one more wide receiver to round out their room. Pittsburgh surrendered the 52nd overall pick in the second round to the Seattle Seahawks in the trade, so they are thin on capital in the first two days of the draft.
With Metcalf secured, it looked like this team was poised to go with a defensive lineman in Round 1 and a running back in Round 3. However, Pittsburgh's latest top-30 visit proves wide receiver is still on the menu... at least on Day 2.
On Monday, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reported that the Steelers hosted Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins for a pre-draft visit. Higgins raised some eyebrows at the Senior Bowl with a few impressive combatted catches before posting outstanding testing numbers at the NFL Combine.
At 6'4'' and 214 pounds with 33-inch arms, Higgins ran an official 4.47 40-yard dash while posting a 39-inch vertical jump and 10'8'' broad jump. The collection of his size and testing helped him earn an outstanding 9.92 Relative Athletic Score.
But most Steelers fans would admit that adding another big-bodied wide receiver to pair with Metcalf and George Pickens would be odd. The visit with Higgins could be a sign that Pickens is on the way out.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are already eyeing George Pickens' replacement in the 2025 NFL Draft
While some draft experts believe Jayden Higgins could act as a 'big slot' in the NFL, having three wide receivers that fit a similar profile would be an odd strategy for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The front office's apparent interest in Higgins likely means that Pickens' days with the team are numbered.
This could mean that the Steelers intend to let him play out the final year of his contract before walking away in free agency, but nobody would be surprised if Omar Khan gave Pickens the Diontae Johnson treatment and traded the troubled wide receiver this offseason. Now that DK Metcalf is on the team, Khan could try to recoup a draft pick for Pickens and hunt for his replacement in the 2025 draft.
A player like Higgins would give Arthur Smith's offense another weapon who can box out smaller defenders and win at multiple levels of the field. Higgins isn't the only visit with a player projected to be off the board by the end of the third round. The Steelers already had a pre-draft visit with Higgins' Iowa State teammate, Jaylin Noel.
NFL teams only get 30 facility visits with draft prospects, and it would be unwise to use them on players they aren't interested in drafting. The Pittsburgh Steelers' pre-draft visit with Jayden Higgins means the Steelers could be looking to move on from George Pickens soon.