George Pickens trade grades, plus ranking top 10 NFL WR duos after Cowboys’ move, post-draft QB Power Rankings

Happy midweek, everyone! John Breech is busy calculating how the Cincinnati Bengals’ AFC North chances will be affected by George Pickens’ exit from the division (more on that below), so today’s Pick Six newsletter is brought to you by Cody Benjamin, with tidbits on all the latest from around the NFL.

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1. Steelers trade George Pickens to the Cowboys

George Pickens is no longer a Pittsburgh Steeler. Despite recent reports indicating the outspoken wide receiver wanted to remain in Steel City, the big-play pass catcher was shipped to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday in exchange for a future third-round draft pick. The move not only draws a close to a dramatic stint with the Steelers but gives Dak Prescott a much-needed No. 2 weapon opposite CeeDee Lamb.

Which side is the early winner of the trade? Jordan Dajani really likes this deal for Dallas, despite Pickens’ penchant for on-field outbursts. He gave the Cowboys an “A-” for the move, while handing the Steelers a “B-” for selling a potential star for just a Day 2 pick:

At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Pickens is a legitimate perimeter threat that should have Dak Prescott giddy. He will open up things for Lamb, and vice versa. On paper, the Cowboys just created one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. After last year’s incredibly disappointing offseason and the forgettable 2024 campaign that followed, these are the kinds of moves that Cowboys fans want to see from Jerry Jones.

2. Ranking top 10 WR duos after Cowboys’ trade

Now that George Pickens is in Dallas, where does the Cowboys’ new duo rank among the NFL’s best pass catching tandems? We ranked our top 10 going into 2025. Here’s a sneak peek of the top five:

5. Detroit Lions (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams): Jared Goff’s career resurgence is a testament to both his drive and Detroit’s infrastructure, which includes this dazzling duo. St. Brown plays a lot bigger than he is while offering breakaway juice, whereas Williams is a galloping field-stretcher. If the latter can just stay on the field, the fireworks can be immense.

4. Dallas Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens): The newest pairing of them all, this might be Dak Prescott’s best WR duo since Lamb briefly worked alongside Amari Cooper. Lamb is as good as they come, excelling as a high-volume weapon amid quarterback injuries. Pickens, meanwhile, is an acrobatic deep-ball artist, albeit with a volatile temperament.

3. Minnesota Vikings (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison): Do you see why the expectations are high for young quarterback J.J. McCarthy? Jefferson is arguably the NFL’s most effortless playmaker at his position, gliding into wide-open space with childlike spirit and route-running prowess. Addison’s availability has been spottier, but he’s an almost-equally gifted technician.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins): Higgins has been hit or miss with extended injuries, but when he’s on the field, he maximizes his size as a contested-catch outlet for Joe Burrow. In truth, however, this is all about Chase: He’s an absolute home run waiting to happen, with a burst capable of launching him past an entire defense on any given play.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith): They may have taken a bit of a backseat to the Eagles’ awe-inspiring ground game en route to Super Bowl LIX victory, but no matter: Brown is a prototypical alpha with an imposing blend of both size, strength and downfield acceleration. Meanwhile, Smith is just as, if not more, tenacious despite his slender build, thriving in critical spots. Together, they’re the total package physically, but best of all, they show up when it matters.

3. Post-draft QB Power Rankings: Daniels leads way

With the 2025 NFL Draft in the books, all 32 teams are just about set at the quarterback spot, with the exception of a couple still-needy clubs like the Pittsburgh Steelers. So how do the projected starters stack up? We ranked all of them from most promising to most concerning. Here’s a look at the top three:

1. Jayden Daniels (Commanders): Recency bias? Sure. But you’d be hard-pressed to find an NFL team that wouldn’t hurry to claim him as its quarterback of the present and future, contenders included. He was simply unflappable for much of his dynamic debut, which ended on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. A second-year dip is possible, but who says Daniels won’t keep climbing with some added veteran help?

2. Jalen Hurts (Eagles): He was frequently and often unfairly knocked for holding more of a background role during much of the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, but what more can you ask of this man when the lights shine brightest? His title campaign may have proved he’s best suited as a selective rather than high-volume passer, but his instincts, toughness, downfield touch and rugged mobility all show up in the clutch.

3. Joe Burrow (Bengals): The Bengals are just 14-13 in his last two seasons of starts, so it’s clear he can’t do it all alone. Yet who else would you rather have for pure pocket passing? His poise and precision are dynamite.

Check out our full 1-32 ranking of quarterbacks right here.

4. Rookie predictions: Saints QB Shough wins award

Which first-year NFL players are set to make big headlines in 2025? Jared Dubin polled our NFL analysts and compiled some of our most notable projections for this year’s rookie class. Here’s a sampling:

• Will Howard starts for the Steelers (Bryan DeArdo): The odds of this happening will obviously go up if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign with the Steelers. … If Rodgers doesn’t sign, there’s a very reasonable chance that Howard can be the Steelers’ No. 2 QB, behind Mason Rudolph … It would then [just] take Rudolph suffering an injury and/or having a poor performance … for Howard to get his shot.
• Tyler Shough makes Rookie of the Year push (Tyler Sullivan): New Orleans plucked Shough early on Day 2, and the Louisville quarterback finds himself in a favorable spot to put up numbers during his rookie season. At the skill positions, Shough will have wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed at his disposal, Alvin Kamara in the backfield, and a revamped offensive line with two first-round offensive tackles (Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga) protecting him. First-year head coach Kellen Moore also has a solid history of helping young quarterbacks during his career.
• Matthew Golden leads rookies in receiving yards (Garrett Podell): Golden will become the first Packers player with 1,000 yards receiving since Davante Adams in 2021 and in doing so will lead all NFL rookies in receiving yards. … Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is going to plug Golden into Christian Watson’s deep-threat role, with Watson recovering from a torn ACL. That will open the door for Golden to evolve into a huge weapon for Jordan Love.

5. Top remaining free agents: Chubb still unsigned

The draft is complete, and now the Cowboys have robbed the trade market of one of its top veterans in George Pickens, so what’s next? We rounded up the top remaining free agents, identifying players who are still free to sign with new teams this spring. Here are some of the biggest names:

• QB Aaron Rodgers
• QB Carson Wentz
• RB Nick Chubb
• WR Amari Cooper
• WR Keenan Allen

Check out Bryan DeArdo’s full breakdown right here.

6. Extra points: RB rankings, Brady talks to Sanders

Need a few more headlines? We’ve got you covered: