"They Were Baiting Teams To Trade Up": Steelers Accused Of A Massive Bluff

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been ridiculed ever since making the organization's first-round selection on Thursday night. The Steelers drafted offensive tackle Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State with the 21st overall pick, and people have been hating on the situation that surrounded the selection. 

The issue with what happened with the Steelers on Thursday night is that the team was jumped by the Philadelphia Eagles while Pittsburgh was on the phone with who it wanted to draft, and that was wide receiver Makai Lemon. Lemon was on the phone with Pittsburgh's General Manager Omar Khan when he was taken by the Eagles.

Iheanachor is a good player; although, he is a raw talent and there might be some sort of learning curve as he transitions into the NFL. The Steelers wanted a wide receiver and the organization was going to pick Lemon, but the Eagles jumped the Steelers in the order and landed the wideout instead. 

This has been seen as a bad look for Pittsburgh as the franchise missed out on a top-flight prospect that would have addressed a major need. However, some believe this is going to be a good thing for the Steelers at the end of the day. Former NFL player Chris Canty spoke about the situation in a recent addition of Unsportsmanlike.

"Did one Pennsylvania team save the other Pennsylvania team from itself," Canty asked. "Iheanachor was the best fit for them. They gotta continue to work on that offensive line. They just traded for Michael Pittman Jr., and they traded for DK Metcalf. I don't know why you would do that."

Canty didn't see a reason for the Steelers to spend a first-round pick on the wide receiver position, and he viewed the offensive line as more of an area of need. It is hard to disagree with this take. The wide receiver position has been rough for Pittsburgh in recent years, but trading for Michael Pittman Jr. is going to help that room out. The offensive line has more questions about the unit as a whole as of right now.

The left side of the offensive line is in shambles for the Steelers. Isaac Seumalo left the organization in free agency so there is a hole at left guard, and Broderick Jones' health is up in the air. Those two things made picking a player like Iheanachor make some sense, and he should be able to get on the field relatively early. Canty's co-host, Evan Cohen, believes Iheanachor may have been the player the Steelers wanted all along, and Pittsburgh was baiting another team to trade up.

"I don't buy that they were gonna do that." Cohen said. "I think they were baiting teams to trade up. Why would you take a receiver if you're the Steelers? Let's be honest, sorry everyone here in Pittsburgh, baiting or stupid? Because it's so dumb, they were actually gonna do that."

The Steelers could have been baiting other teams, but it is hard to see what the win would have been in that for Pittsburgh. Maybe the Steelers were trying to get a team like the Cleveland Browns to give up draft capital to move up in the event. The Browns had the 24th overall pick, and maybe there is some minor win in getting a divisional rival to give up draft capital in order to get the guy that they want.

Steelers Fans Should Be Excited About Iheanachor

Pittsburgh fans have been focused on the fact that the Steelers missed out on Lemon, but the franchise still brought in a tackle with a ton of potential. There should be excitement around Iheanachor, and the fan base needs to give him some time to develop and become a professional. There is a world where he is starting in Week 1, but fans will have to wait and see what happens.

What do you think about the Steelers maybe trying to bait other teams to move up? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

#SteelerNation