The Pittsburgh Steelers’ intention to draft WR Makai Lemon in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft has been well-documented. The Steelers were on the phone with Lemon when the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to take him at No. 20 overall, and according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers did have interest in trading up for Lemon.
Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Dulac broke down the players the Steelers would’ve traded up for and why they didn’t end up making a move for Lemon.
“There were three guys they were willing to trade up to get, and two of them were going to be unreachable, the two Ohio State players, Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate. But the third guy they were willing to trade up to get, was Makai Lemon,” Dulac said Thursday. “When the Rams did not take him, and you look at what was in front of them, let me say this though, they thought they had the opportunity with Tampa Bay to trade up.”
Dulac said the Buccaneers loved Rueben Bain, and with him on the board, the trade-up fell through.
“I think the Steelers thought, ok, what they see in front of them, it looks pretty good to be able to get Makai Lemon, and then of course, Philadelphia jumps in front of them.”
Trading up for Tate, who went fourth overall, would’ve been impossible for the Steelers. Acquiring Downs, who went 10th overall, would’ve been feasible but costly. Lemon was much more attainable, but the Steelers clearly felt they could sit and get their guy after the Rams passed on him to select QB Ty Simpson.
For what it’s worth, Dulac also named Tate, Downs and Lemon as the three players the Steelers would’ve traded up for ahead of the draft, as well.
It wasn’t as if there was no effort to trade up, as Dulac mentioned, as he has a few times, that the Steelers thought they could move up to No. 15, but Rueben Bain falling ended those plans. There was no real threat directly ahead of the Steelers to take Lemon. There’s an argument to made that if the Steelers wanted Lemon, they weren’t proactive enough to move up to get him, knowing there was a possibility of other teams trading up.
But the Steelers landed a high-upside offensive tackle in Max Iheanachor, and by the time pick No. 20 rolled around, the Steelers were likely comfortable with him as their pick if Lemon got taken.
The Steelers addressed receiver in the second round, trading up for Germie Bernard. They were able to strengthen the trenches in the first round, and in the long run, Iheanachor could wind up being a more valuable selection than Lemon, especially if Bernard pans out. While the process may not have been the best, the Steelers still wound up with a talented player, even if they didn’t get more aggressive to get a player who was one of their top targets.