Blockbuster Trade Proposal Has Ravens Acquiring George Pickens for First-Round Pick
The Ravens need to bolster their receiving corps, both at wide receiver and tight end. They're likely to do so in the draft, but they also could make veteran additions via free agency or trade.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox came up with two potential trades the Ravens could make for pass-catchers, one of which would be a blockbuster.
Knox's splashy proposal has the Ravens acquiring All-Pro wide receiver George Pickens from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for their first-round pick (No. 14 overall).
"Baltimore could use a legitimate No. 1 receiver, and Pickens would certainly fill that need," Knox wrote. "He may also relish a chance to go up against the Pittsburgh Steelers team that jettisoned him a year ago."
The Ravens have a No. 1 receiver in Zay Flowers, who is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and Pro Bowl nods, but Pickens has a different skill set. Flowers is quick and shifty, while Pickens is a 6-foot-3 contested-catch monster.
The Cowboys applied the franchise tag to Pickens this offseason, and Owner Jerry Jones has said he wants him in Dallas long term. However, Knox believes the Cowboys might be open to a trade.
"Given Pickens' age (25) and proven production (1,429 yards in 2025), teams will likely inquire about him just before or during the draft," Knox wrote. "The Cowboys, who are already paying CeeDee Lamb $34 million per year, might listen. Replacing Pickens with a receiver like Kevin Concepcion or Omar Cooper Jr.—on a rookie contract—would make plenty of financial sense."
The question is whether trading for Pickens would make financial sense for the Ravens.
Flowers, 25, is eligible for a contract extension for the first time this offseason, and he's in line for a big payday. A team acquiring Pickens would have to sign him to a contract extension, and he's also going to be expensive.
Knox's other trade pitch has Baltimore landing tight end Cole Kmet from the Chicago Bears for a conditional 2027 fourth-round pick.
"If the Ravens can't land a receiver like Pickens — or even if they do — they should have interest in Bears tight end Cole Kmet," Knox wrote. "Kmet has been productive throughout his Bears tenure, but he may be viewed as expendable due to the emergence of rookie Colston Loveland in 2025.
"For Baltimore, adding Kmet would make a ton of sense. The Ravens lost tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency. Kmet is a solid pass-catcher who has tallied 2,939 receiving yards in six seasons and who just turned 27 years old in March."
The hypothetical trade would reunite Kmet with new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle, who was the Bears' OC last season. The Ravens signed former Bears blocking tight end Durham Smythe last month.
Pundit Looks at 'Dream Scenario' for Ravens' Draft
Wide receiver and the interior offensive line are arguably the Ravens' biggest needs. "Ravens in Five" creator and former Pro Football Focus draft analyst Gordon McGuinness envisioned a "dream scenario" in which the Ravens address those needs with their first three picks.
McGuinness has Baltimore selecting an offensive lineman such as Penn State guard Vega Ioane, who is the player most frequently mocked to the Ravens, or Utah's Spencer Fano in the first round, a wide receiver in the second, and a starting center in the third.
"My dream scenario for the Ravens would be that the board falls in a way that they go offensive line in the first round, because it then allows them to come back at the wide receiver spot probably in the second or third round," McGuinness said on “Glenn Clark Radio.” "The second round, I think, especially at No. 45, is going to be a really sweet spot for wide receiver. I know he's coming off the ACL injury, but if [Louisville's] Chris Bell is there at 45 … When you watch him run shallow crosses and take them into long gains, he just looks like A.J. Brown. He's a real powerful runner when he gets the ball in his hands. As long as the injury stuff checks out, then you're comfortable with that.
"I think Night 2 is going to be a big center night throughout the NFL in this draft. I think there's at least three, maybe four, guys that go there. …. I think the Ravens can find a guy who starts in Year 1 on the second day of the draft."
Two Big Questions for Baltimore in the Draft
The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker looked at the biggest questions for the Ravens entering the draft.
One question Wacker posed is what the Ravens would do if Ioane, Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq are all still on the board at No 14.
"Ioane and Tyson are common projections, but Baltimore could pivot to Sadiq — an elite athlete widely viewed as the top tight end in the class," Wacker wrote. "He would give Lamar Jackson another dynamic target and help offset the departures of Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar."
How defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike's uncertain future affects the Ravens' approach for the interior defensive line in the draft is another question. Wacker said the Ravens need to add depth at the position even if Madubuike returns from last year's season-ending neck injury.
"Travis Jones is ascending but has dealt with lower-body injuries," Wacker wrote. "John Jenkins remains dependable but will turn 37 in July. Broderick Washington could be a cap casualty. C.J. Okoye, Aeneas Peebles and David Olajiga are unproven.
"This is not an ideal draft to need defensive line help early, making a second-round (or later) addition more likely. Clemson's Peter Woods, Florida's Caleb Banks and Ohio State's Kayden McDonald could be options, with depth extending into the fourth round."
