Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the major story lines of the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night, but not for good reason. The team was planning on selecting USC wide receiver Makai Lemon only for their cross-state rivals to snatch him away.
During the NFL Draft on Thursday night, USC wide receiver Makai Lemon was on the phone with Steelers GM Omar Khan, set to be drafted by the team 21st overall, when the Eagles had traded up from 23 to 21 to select him instead.
The Eagles stealing Makai Lemon from the Pittsburgh Steelers caused them to “autopick” offensive tackle Max Iheanachor
Lemon’s could be heard saying “Why is Philly calling?” on NFL Network cameras, doubling the embarrassment for the Steelers.
Here is the moment Makai Lemon thought he was getting drafted by #Steelers and realizing in real time that the #Eagles traded up, via @gmfb this morning.
He asked Omar Khan “Why is Philly calling [me]?” pic.twitter.com/AbXDJONYye
— Ross McCorkle (@Ross_McCorkle) April 24, 2026
The Eagles beating Pittsburgh to Lemon threw their draft plans out of whack, with insiders saying they selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with what amounted to an “autopick” in fantasy football drafts.
“Plan A was to draft a QB. Clearly, that plan failed, though little fault of the Steelers. Plan B was to draft a wide receiver — a sensible pivot — and when Makai Lemon looked to be falling they planned to draft him. That plan failed when the Eagles sniped them, and the Steelers were at least somewhat to blame. Then, they seemed to run out of plans,” reported Steelers insider Alan Saunders.
What a quote from a Steelers insider:
“You know when the clock runs out on you in a fantasy football draft. And it auto picks a guy you don’t want. That’s what happened to the Steelers tonight.”
🙃
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 24, 2026
Steelers had their guy and let their in-state rival snatch him from their grasp in front of their home fans tonight.
Sums up the state of the franchise. Too busy standing still while the best teams in the league leave them in the dust.
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) April 24, 2026
In his final season at USC in 2025, Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award — given to the nation’s top receiver — putting up 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns.
At Arizona State, Iheanachor started 31 of 32 games over three seasons, allowing zero sacks on 484 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, and earned Second-team All-Big 12 honors.