When you were sitting back, watching the 2026 NFL Draft unfold, you probably weren't thinking about the Pittsburgh Steelers' dramatic Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens. In the 2025 season finale, it was win-and-advance to the playoffs or lose-and-go-home for either team.
You know the rest of the story. Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop botched a 44-yard field goal that would have been the game-winner for Baltimore. And with that, Mike Tomlin's team would enter the playoffs one final time, as the Ravens were sent packing.
Unfortunately, the Steelers—as many fans expected—weren't good enough to do anything with their postseason berth. They were humiliated by the Houston Texans in a 30-6 defeat in the Wild Card round, continuing a nine-year drought without a playoff win.
And if that Week 18 game against the Ravens had gone the other way, the Steelers' draft class would look entirely different right now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers would have drafted Makai Lemon had they lost the 2025 season finale
We don't want to get too deep into the weeds with hypotheticals, but the Steelers were just one pick away from landing USC star receiver Makai Lemon in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, so he almost certainly would have been their pick if the Steelers lost to the Ravens.
Had Loop made the game-winning field goal, the Steelers would have finished with a 9-8 record, and after tiebreakers, would have owned the No. 18 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Instead, their 10-7 record, AFC North title, and early playoff exit resulted in the No. 21 pick in the draft.
Knowing their 2025 postseason would be so fruitless, it would have been better had they not defeated the Ravens in what ultimately proved to be a worthless Week 18 finale.
With the 18th overall pick, the Steelers almost certainly would have drafted Lemon, giving them a true potential No. 1 option in the passing game. Instead, the Steelers went with developmental Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. Lemon was pegged as a top-12 player in the class, while Iheanachor was 33rd on the consensus board.
Selecting Lemon would have caused a ripple effect early in the draft for Pittsburgh. With Lemon, there would have been no sense in trading up for Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard. This means that they could have looked for offensive line help or taken a BPA approach in Round 2.
Maybe the Steelers would have taken Gennings Dunker a round earlier (who they wound up getting at pick No. 96 in the third round). Or, had they stood pat at pick No. 53, they could have taken one of the best players from their 30-visit list, like Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren or CJ Allen—both of whom are considered among the greatest steals of the draft.
Quite frankly, we don't know who the Steelers would have selected in Round 2 and beyond had they lost to the Ravens in Week 18 and had the No. 18 pick in the draft, but we do know with absolute certainty that they planned on drafting Makai Lemon.
This one fruitless win in the 2025 season finale completely changed the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 draft results.
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