The first round of the NFL Draft tends to be a fast-paced environment with all 32 teams looking to make moves. But Thursday brought one of the more unusual draft-day scenes in recent memory:
Makai Lemon got his NFL Draft phone call from a team that didn’t end up drafting him.
With the Steelers picking at No. 21 in the first round, Pittsburgh assumed that the Cowboys were going defense at No. 20 and opted to make the call to the USC receiver a bit early. As that was happening, though, the Eagles swooped in to make a trade up to No. 20.
Their pick was Lemon, which led to confusion as he was already on the phone with Pittsburgh while the Eagles were calling. On Sunday, Steelers GM Omar Khan explained what happened from his perspective. He said there was no ill intent on causing an emotional roller coaster for Lemon and his family.
#Steelers GM Omar Khan on calling WR Makai Lemon and then getting jumped by the #Eagles:
“When the draft happens, there’s a lot of excitement that goes on. There was no ill intent. We made the call… The draft throws curveballs at you in every round, trust me. It happens… https://t.co/qyTNOuoRuopic.twitter.com/qKIKuEGS6X
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 27, 2026
It sounded like the Steelers were certain with how the draft boards were going to play out. Then, the draft threw them a curveball.
With Lemon suddenly off the board, the Steelers ended up going with offensive tackle Max Iheanachor from Arizona State.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Steelers GM offered explanation for the Makai Lemon NFL Draft call