Cowboys hater Dan Orlovsky just said what NFL is scared to admit about George Pickens

The Dallas Cowboys have a knack for being on the wrong side of blockbuster trades, but it is impossible to put into words just how badly they fleeced the Pittsburgh Steelers when they acquired George Pickens for a third-round pick.

That seemed like a fair price at the time, and while he's only played 11 games with the Cowboys, Pittsburgh's front office is surely kicking itself for not getting a first-round pick in return, or choosing to trade for D.K Metcalf instead of just paying Pickens.

Pickens has morphed into the Cowboys' No. 1 wide receiver. That isn't a knock on CeeDee Lamb, who's clearly low on confidence right now, but Pickens has surpassed him in the pecking order for the time being.

There might be a conversation to be had about Pickens passing Lamb in the NFL's wide receiver hierarchy. ESPN analyst and noted Cowboys cynic, Dan Orlovsky, certainly thinks so. Only he morphed the debate into something much bigger and far more polarizing.

Dan Orlovsky thinks Cowboys star George Pickens is one of the NFL's best wide receivers

"I'm not saying that to be hyperbolic," Orlovksy said on Get Up. "You can't cover him 1-on-1, but the thing I think that has made George different this year is that George's past has been 1-on-1 go route. He's become so much better and more well-rounded with his routes; the way he seams, the way he sets, the way he goes and gets the ball downfield. I think he's played himself into the conversation of being the best wide receiver in football."

Non-Cowboys fans will read that quote and roll their eyes, but Orlovsky is spot on: Pickens has absolutely played himself into that conversation.

Other than Seahawks star Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who's running away with the receiving yardage crown, you can't name another WR who's been definitively better than Pickens this season. The Rams' Puka Nacua, currently second in catches and third in yards, is the only other wideout who can hold a candle to Pickens.

Here is where Pickens ranks among wide receivers in 2025 who've been targeted at least 80 times, per Pro Football Focus (20 targets vs. man coverage for the final statistic).

Pickens will need another season of producing like this to warrant a seat at the proverbial table, but the numbers speak for themselves. He's playing at an All-Pro level, and there's no reason to think he won't sustain it as long as he's healthy.

Several Cowboys fans genuinely think he's better than CeeDee Lamb, who's widely regarded as a top-five player at the position. That might be a little premature given Lamb's track record in the league, but it's at least worth a conversation, and there's no debating who is Dallas' WR1 right now.

Orlovsky might be sticking his neck out here, but his take isn't off-base. It won't be long until the NFL at large wakes up to the idea that Pickens is one of the best in the world at his position.