Depending on how his career pans out, Makai Lemon could end up being the biggest steal of the 2026 NFL Draft for the Philadelphia Eagles. Lemon going at No. 20 is not a draft steal in the traditional sense, but the Eagles quite literally stole Lemon from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were already on the phone with him, intending to take him at No. 21.
The moment quickly went viral, particularly with the Steelers getting burned while the draft was in their own stadium. Lemon laughs about the chaotic sequence in hindsight, saying he feels it was just “meant to be” for him to wind up on the Eagles.
“Pittsburgh called me, and I thought they were going to draft me, and then the Eagles called at the same time,” Lemon said, via Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. “I guess it was meant to be. I’m super excited to be in Philly.”
The Steelers had already begun planning ahead with the Dallas Cowboys, a team not expected to draft a receiver, on the clock at No. 20. Yet, while they were in the process of drafting Lemon, nobody in the front office seemed to be aware that Dallas had traded its pick to the Eagles, who then poached the USC slot receiver right out of their hands.
Pittsburgh had no choice but to tuck its tail between its legs and go with Plan B, Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. Adding a receiver was priority No. 1, but the Steelers still addressed one of their biggest needs by adding offensive line depth.
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