The Pittsburgh Steelers made a somewhat surprising pick when they selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Many thought Pittsburgh may get aggressive and use some of their 12 draft picks to move up in the draft, potentially for a wide receiver. And according to Ian Rapoport, they were prepared to take a receiver prior to being jumped by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Per Rapoport, the Steelers were on the phone with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon and
planning to draft him before the Eagles traded one spot in front of them to steal the promising pass-catcher away from their in-state counterparts.
Instead, the Steelers had to pivot and selected Iheanachor amidst injury concerns with Broderick Jones. Should Lemon end up being a star, Steelers fans will remember this draft as the one where they were beat to the punch by a more aggressive Eagles team.
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