Steelers had Makai Lemon on phone before Philly poached him

PITTSBURGH — This story initially appeared on SteelersNow.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers were so sure they were drafting USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft that they had the speedy wide receiver on the phone while the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock at No. 20.

The Cowboys were not going to take Lemon, but they traded out of the pick, allowing Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman to jump ahead of Pittsburgh to land Lemon instead.

According to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Steelers were on the phone with Lemon when the Eagles were considering the trade, with Philly unable to get a hold of him. The Eagles eventually made the trade anyway and sniped Lemon away from the Steelers.

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