Steelers' Draft Flop: Lemon Slips, Iheanachor Flops

0:00On April 24th, the Pittsburgh Steelers thought they had their guy at pick 21 in the 2026 NFL draft, but wide receiver McCoy Lemon slipped away when the Eagles traded of one spot with the Cowboys to grab him at 20. Instead, the Steelers selected a fence of tackle, Max Ihanakor, from Arizona State, a surprise move since he wasn't on their top 30 pre-draft. Visitors and didn't feel their most pressing need. Reports say the Steelers were chatting with Lemon in the green room right before the Cowboys turn at 20, but he got a call from Philly and bounced. They clearly wanted him bad, projecting him as a top-ballet in the cough award winner off the board early, yet they stayed put instead of pushing harder. Steelers fans are heated, losing trust in GM Omar Khan, assistant GM Andy Whitele, and coach Mike McCarthy after this flop. Many see it as a basic misread of Dallas owner, Jerry Jones, who's known for wild moves like overpaying Dak Prescott or trading Micah Parsons despite his talent.

1:02The pick gets weirder because Ihanakor mainly played right tackle, while Pittsburgh needs help on the left after injuries and underperformance. They flip recent first-round tackles like Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu back and forth, showing no clear plan and with three-third round. Picks, they could have outbid Philly easily. A quick call to the Cowboys might have changed everything, but it didn't happen. Leaving Steelers fans wondering if the front office can handle the chaos of divisional rivals like the Ravens or Bengals without getting burned next time. NFL News Today, powered by AI bringing you what matters on Game Day, I'm Cory with the Story.