Looking back on the Pittsburgh Steelers' embarrassing draft moment this past spring, it still stings, but not as much as it could. They just missed out on taking Makai Lemon in the first round after the Eagles jumped in front of them. It was a bad look because many thought Pittsburgh got a quality wide receiver stolen from them while they sat on the phone with Lemon.
As of now the miss on the young playmaker is working in the Steelers favor.
Since they failed to take Lemon, the Black and Gold went back to their draft board and took Max Iheanachor. It was a gutsy pick that didn't bring much positivity around it because of the Lemon story that followed. In truth, the Steelers turned out to be in major need of an offensive tackle. Thus far, Iheanachor is enjoying a better start to his professional career than the Eagles wideout.
Things haven't been kind to the rookie WR thus far. He is struggling to find a consistent role on their offense. After a sluggish start to his career during the summer, marked by missed time due to injury, he has been playing catch-up ever since. The Steelers would have been dealing with that, but instead, they have Iheanachor, who seems to be a promising offensive tackle.
Pittsburgh Steelers draft failure of Makai Lemon aging well as Max Iheanachor stands out
Despite Philadelphia being in need of another wide receiver to step up on offense after trading A.J. Brown this past offseason, Lemon hasn't found a spot. His job is pretty clear, but for some reason the start to his rookie season just hasn't gone to plan. Through three games of action, Lemon has produced a forgettable stat line of seven receptions for 38 yards and no touchdowns.
The Steelers might've gotten embarrassed on draft night by failing to take Lemon, but it seems to be working in their favor.
Iheanachor is coming off the first start of his career against the Bengals, and he provided a spark. He not only looked the part, but he was dominant in his debut. The addition of him and Brock Hoffman along the right side of the trenches brought newfound success.
After a ton of bad press against the Steelers following the Lemon draft debacle, Pittsburgh seems to be showing signs of hope. Sometimes things look bad in the moment, but both Lemon and Iheanachor have time to show who is the better player. Even though the wideout hasn't had the start to his career that he would prefer, things could always turn around for the better.
When it comes to Iheanachor, it's clear that he is off to a better start to his pro career than Lemon. Time will only tell if this "miss" by the Steelers was a blessing in disguise or a tragedy, but as of now, it seems Pittsburgh is better off for it. He appears to be a long-standing starter at his position, while Lemon is struggling to accomplish much of anything as a rookie.
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