Those Around The League Claim "This Is Not The First Time" The Steelers Have Used A Shady Draft Night Tactic

The Pittsburgh Steelers are typically one of the most talked-about teams in the NFL, and that did not change throughout the 2026 NFL Draft. The organization had the pleasure of the draft being hosted in Pittsburgh, and the franchise had 12 selections going into the event. Pittsburgh wound up drafting 10 players, which is considered a fairly large draft class. One player that is not a part of the draft class is wide receiver Makai Lemon, who the Steelers had their eyes on with the 21st overall pick. The Steelers had the former USC Trojans standout scooped up right before they had a chance to select him.

Lemon was not supposed to be available by the time the Steelers were picking in the first round. He was seen by most as a top-15 pick in the draft. He wound up sliding a little bit, and the Steelers had an obvious need at wide receiver. General Manager Omar Khan was on the phone with Lemon when the Eagles jumped the Steelers by completing a trade with the Dallas Cowboys. This gave Philadelphia the 20th overall pick, one spot ahead of Pittsburgh, and the franchise drafted Lemon.

This was an embarrassing look for the Steelers, especially with the draft being hosted in Pittsburgh. It was talked about for days afterward, and there was even some thought that the Steelers could be punished by the league for calling a prospect before officially being on the clock. Anonymous executives spoke to Mike Sando of The Athletic about the situation, and they were pretty critical of the Steelers.

"Some execs suggested this is not the first time Pittsburgh has called a prospect early," Sando wrote. "'They think they are tying up the phone lines so the other team moves on because they can’t get in touch with the player,' another exec said. 'All it takes is you to call the player, and if another team calls the agent and they’re like, 'Oh, he’s on the phone with so-and-so,' now they know who you’re picking.'"

The executive is essentially saying that the Steelers try to call ahead, so if another team tries to call a prospect the call won't go all the way through. However, organizations have several numbers for each prospect, and teams can just call the incoming rookie's agent to get into contact with the player. The agent then tells the opposing team that another team is on the phone with the player, and the team trying to call knows exactly who is trying to pick the player.

"You don’t make the call until you’re on the clock," an executive said. "It's crazy."