Video Shows Moment Makai Lemon Was Snatched From Steelers by Eagles

The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to deliver what could have been a fan-favorite pick in front of the home crowd on Thursday night.

Pittsburgh was on the phone with former USC star wide receiver Makai Lemon, planning to take him with the No. 21 pick in the 2026 NFL draft. However, the Philadelphia Eagles jumped ahead of the Steelers, trading with NFC East rival Dallas to obtain the No. 20 pick.

"First I answered the phone and it was the Steelers and then my phone kept ringing," Lemon said. "I look and it's the Eagles. … They traded up and they were going to pick me. I feel like everything happens for a reason. They traded up, so it means a lot. They really want me. I'm all in and they gonna get everything that I got."

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Video from the moment finally hit social media and quickly went viral.

Lemon was shocked when he received a call from Philadelphia while on the phone with the Steelers only to be told that the Eagles traded for the former college star wide receiver at the last minute.

“We kind of had a really good sense of who we thought the first 15 guys would be,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “One of those guys did not go in the first 15, and he was available to us. So I think for us, when we saw that, it was just trying to figure out where we can move up."

The Steelers went on to take former Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the No. 21 pick.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 9:18 AM.