The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced an embarrassing situation with wide receiver Makai Lemon during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. But the fallout from the incident might not be done.
Former Philadelphia Eagles executive Jake Rosenberg argued on X the Steelers could face NFL disciplinary action for calling Lemon when they weren’t “on the clock” during the first round.
“Clubs that are not ‘on the clock’ may have discussions with the representative of one or more draft-eligible players not yet selected (or discussion with the players themselves) regarding the player’s interest in playing in the League, playing with a particular club or type of club … so long as these discussions do not interfere with discussions between a player and the club that is ‘on the clock,’” wrote Rosenberg.
On Saturday, Rosenberg quote posted that original post from Friday with another explanation of how rare it was to see the Steelers on the phone with Lemon when the Eagles were trying to select him.
“Discipline or not, it is a strange/rare breach of process for a club to put itself in this position,” added Rosenberg. “It’s very easy to know when you’re on the clock and when the team in front of you trades its pick.”
Because of video from the NFL Draft green room, the league caught Steelers general manager Omar Khan on the phone with Lemon when the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock at No. 20 overall.
The Steelers were picking next at No. 21.
The Eagles, though, executed a trade with Dallas to move up to No. 20. With the jump ahead of the Steelers, the Eagles landed Lemon instead.
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