No matter how Makai Lemon's career unfolds, it's clear that his name will always be tied to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With their failure to draft him, the franchise was dragged through the mud for a while, and it made the franchise appear fragile.
Well, as the season goes on, it's clear that the Steelers might've gotten the better player, as Germie Bernard is playing quality football in Pittsburgh.
After failing to draft Lemon in the first round, many praised the Eagles. In the Black and Gold's defense, that early praise has soured for Philly. Lemon hasn't been the type of player he was billed to be at the NFL Draft, while Bernard is starting to show great potential with the Steelers. The Eagles wideout will always be tied to Pittsburgh because of the draft debacle that connects them.
Thus far, the Steelers certainly seem better off by missing out on Makai Lemon. They got Max Iheanachor, who appears to be the long-term fix at right tackle, and traded up to draft Germie Bernard in the second round this past spring. It's still too early to declare one as an obvious winner of this outcome, but one thing is for sure: Pittsburgh has witnessed this disaster turn into a giant positive.
Pittsburgh Steelers should be thankful they drafted Germie Bernard instead of Makai Lemon
After some shocking moments coming from the Eagles this season, the team is starting to get into trouble. They weren't playing well, and now they are without Lane Johnson after he retired, and Jalen Hurts is out indefinitely due to a blood clot. Losing is never fun, but doing so in Philly only makes that worse.
Now, without Hurts as his quarterback for the rest of the season, Makai Lemon's early struggles could snowball into bigger issues.
Lemon missed most of the summer with a nagging injury, which put him behind the eight ball. Ever since he returned, it's clear that the first-round pick hasn't been able to figure things out at the pro level yet. Through six games of action and only two starts, Lemon has produced a forgettable stat line of 18 receptions off of 29 targets for 127 receiving yards and no touchdowns.
Germie Bernard, on the other hand, played the entire summer but still had to earn his snaps on the field. He's had to rely more on injuries hitting the Steelers' receiver room to get opportunities, but he's taken advantage of those. Through six games of his rookie season, two of them as a starter, Bernard has produced 24 receptions off of 32 targets for 227 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Neither Bernard nor Lemon has set the NFL world on fire yet as rookies, but it's clear that the Steelers wide receiver is off to a better start. He's helped Pittsburgh through a tough stretch of injuries at the position and should be aiming for a quality season the rest of the way. Lemon and the Eagles appear to be on a path for a down year, and it shows the Steelers might've lucked out.
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