Omar Khan heard the words no general manager wants to be told during the 2026 NFL Draft while believing they had their next first-round pick in board.
“Hey, why is Philly calling me?” USC receiver Makai Lemon asked the Steelers’ top football executive Thursday night while midcall in a shocking new video released by NFL Network.
This new clip revealed how the Steelers’ fortunes — for now — took a massive turn for the worst Thursday night with the Eagles trading for the pick before them and forcing a quick transition.
The NFL world now knows the Steelers, who were hosting the draft in Pittsburgh, ultimately settled for offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the No. 22 pick, a pick that one Steelers insider described as a fantasy football autopick.
“You know when the clock runs out on you in a fantasy football draft,” the individual told 93.7’s Andrew Fillipponi. “And it auto picks a guy you don’t want. That’s what happened to the Steelers tonight.”
Time will tell if the Eagles’ sneaky move doomed or ultimately benefitted the Steelers, but, for now, it’s a brutal look for one of the NFL’s proudest franchises.
Khan apparently called Lemon before the No. 21 pick had been made official, with the Cowboys originally being on the clock before sending the selection to the rival Eagles.
“Makai, hey, it’s Omar with the Steelers. How are ya?” Khan asked, eliciting excited reactions from Lemon’s party, including one person yelling, “Let’s go.”
Not long after, though, his agent, per NFL Network, gave him the scoop.
“Philly just traded for you,” the individual said while bringing over a phone to show to Lemon. “This is Philly. They just traded for you. Philly’s taking you right now.”
The Eagles indeed landed their possible A.J. Brown trade replacement, while the Steelers instead beefed up their line for whomever — maybe Aaron Rodgers — is their quarterback in 2026.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said it took the franchise a few minutes to get in contact with Lemon, who tallied 1,156 receiving yards last year, which is not the norm.
“The clock got down a little bit lower than we would have liked,” he said, “but we were able to get in contact with him and obviously select himm.”
Khan did not say whether the Eagles’ trade influenced their plans, although the video offers evidence to the contrary.
“All those things that happened around us affect the conversations, but just the draft,” Khan said while throwing up his hands.
He added: “You trust your board. But the way it shook out, yeah, it brought us to the position. It was the right pick for us.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
