In what became one of the more intriguing moments of the 2026 NFL draft, the Eagles shockingly slipped the Steelers right as Pittsburgh was attempting to select wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 21st overall pick.
What happened was this: Dallas was on the clock with pick 20, and everyone knew they'd be taking a defender. That in mind, the Pittsburgh front office got on the phone with Lemon, presumably thinking they were in the clear. Meanwhile, however, the Eagles had just traded up for the Cowboys' pick. And with their newfound 20th overall selection, they were able to snag the receiver all for themselves—right from Pittsburgh’s clutches.
When a video of the moment was later released—and it was clear to the public that the Steelers had been sniped—the whole mishap was promptly used as fodder for an in-state rivalry. The Eagles even trolled the Steelers on Twitter, and fans fanned the flames the following day at the draft.
But to hear Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman tell it, the intent was not to stick it to Pittsburgh, specifically; in reality, the Eagles were just doing what they needed to get their guy.
"If we're being totally transparent, it wasn't like we were just trying to get to [pick No. 20]," Roseman told Mad Dog Sports Radio on Wednesday. “We were trying to get ahead of that pick, as well, because when you feel really strongly about a player, you think at every pick he’s going.”
In essence, the Eagles would've traded up for a different, higher pick if they could have; the fact that the Cowboys' selection fell before the Steelers was just the way it happened to go down.
"To say that we were willing to sit there and just get ahead of Pittsburgh, it wouldn't be true," Roseman went on. "We were trying to get up, we were trying to get the player. It so happened that we got in front of them, certainly, they were one of the teams that we thought would be in the mix, but more importantly for us than who anyone else wants, it's who we want and who we want to go get. And we wanted to get the player."
Considering the belief that the Eagles will soon be moving on from WR1 AJ Brown, the team's enthusiasm around Lemon makes sense. He should fit indeed nicely within the offense and work nicely with DeVonta Smith.
But it is a slight bummer for Pittsburgh, whose receiver depth has been a problem since trading away George Pickens. The front office acquired former Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. in early March, but it would’ve been nice to also add a strong young prospect to the mix with Lemon.
Still, the team made the most of the flub; Pittsburgh used its first-rounder to select OT Max Iheanachor out of ASU and thereby bolster a needy offensive line.
In the end, no hard feelings here.
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BRIGID KENNEDY
Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.
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