The Dallas Cowboys may not have drafted a wide receiver with any of their premium picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, but they did manage to eventually land a nice complement to CeeDee Lamb when they acquired George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers via a trade centered around a third-round pick in 2026.

The Cowboys might be taking a calculated risk on a player who has had some ups and downs in his career, but it appears as though the same team that just traded a fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo is not regarded as someone who finds adequate value in the Draft.

ESPN’s Seth Walder has already given the hypothetical win in this trade to the Steelers, giving them a B+ in this deal while giving Dallas a B- mark. Walder has historically been a proponent of acquiring as many draft picks as possible, which likely influenced the lower grade on Pickens.

The one saving grace for Walder is the fact that Dallas is going to let Pickens play out the final year of his contract, which gives them more flexibility with regards to how he fits into the long-term picture.

ESPN gives Cowboys a B- grade for George Pickens trade

Pickens has recorded 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns in his three-year NFL career despite the ghost of Russell Wilson standing out as the best quarterback he has played with in that span. Going to Dak Prescott, even as a No. 2 option, will be a huge improvement for him.

Pickens hasn’t had any off-field issues in his NFL career, but he does have a temper that runs hot and has often impacted his play on the field. There’s a reason Tomlin traded a 24-year-old receiver on a rookie contract fresh off two great seasons, and Dallas might not be able to reign him in.

If Pickens proves himself and eventually manages to work out some kind of deal to stick in Dallas, the combination of his towering physical presence on one side and Lamb’s dynamic playmaking on the other could be all this passing game needs to overcome the vanilla scheme of new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

The Cowboys gave up a pretty hefty third-rounder to acquire Pickens, but there is still time to prove Walder wrong and assert themselves as the winner of this trade if Pickens ends up fulfilling his potential as a prototypical X receiver in Dallas’ scheme.