Day 1 of the NFL Draft is in the books, and Pittsburgh made a great first impression as host, showing off the city’s skyline, energy, and fanbase on a national stage. It felt like a night built for both the city and the Pittsburgh Steelers to shine.
But after all the hype, Round 1 ended on a rough note for the Steelers.
With things turning into an embarrassment once a video surfaced of the Philadelphia Eagles trading up for Makai Lemon, taking away from what should’ve been a strong start to the draft.
Video of Makai Lemon being drafted creates an embarrassing look for the Pittsburgh Steelers front office
Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock and, out of nowhere, made a deal with their biggest rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles moved up three spots, sending two fourth-round picks to swap first-round selections and jump the Pittsburgh Steelers to take Makai Lemon.
The video that came out after made it even more awkward. Lemon was on the phone with Omar Khan, like he was about to be the pick, then suddenly asked why the Eagles were calling him. His agent then stepped in and told him Philadelphia had traded up to draft him. It turned into one of those moments that just did not look good for Pittsburgh.
There are a few things that made it stand out. The Steelers seemed pretty confident in their direction before they were even officially on the clock. And if they really thought the Cowboys were going defense, it still brings up the question of why they did not just move up one spot to make sure they got their guy and avoid the risk of being jumped.
With the draft capital Pittsburgh had, a small move up would not have cost much and would not have touched their Day 2 picks. Other teams were making those kinds of moves all night, just jumping one spot to lock in a player they wanted. It makes the decision to stay put feel even more questionable in hindsight.
If they were that high on Lemon, it would have felt like being aggressive would have made sense. Instead, they waited, and it played out exactly how they did not want it to.
In the end, Pittsburgh pivoted and selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State. It is a solid pick and fills a real need on the offensive line, something they had to address. But there is no denying the night would have felt different if they had come away with Lemon, a player many fans were already excited about, especially given the idea of him developing alongside DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. in the passing game.
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