Omar Khan's fourth NFL Draft as the Pittsburgh Steelers' general manager could not have started worse, or at least that's how it initially looked after Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman swooped in and snatched the player Khan and the Steelers were about to select with the 20th overall pick. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the entire process was recorded and immediately dispersed into the universe. In a matter of minutes, seemingly everyone had seen Makai Lemon chatting on the phone with Khan before Pittsburgh was leapfrogged by Philadelphia, who drafted Lemon after they pulled off a trade with, of all teams, the Dallas Cowboys, their longtime division rival.
The move was viewed as another example of Roseman's excellence at his job. Conversely, it was seen as a complete embarrassment in Pittsburgh. Inside the Eagles draft room as they’re trying to Makai Lemon on the phone 👀🎥: Eagles/YouTube pic.twitter.com/E484AsWiKA #Steelers GM Omar Khan on calling WR Makai Lemon and then getting jumped by the #Eagles:“When the draft happens, there’s a lot of excitement that goes on.
We made the call… The draft throws curveballs at you in every round, trust me. It happens… https://t.co/qyTNOuoRuo pic.twitter.com/qKIKuEGS6X That sequence of events looks much different now, however. While it's still too early to say anything definitive, the Steelers are currently benefiting from what transpired six months ago.
The Steelers quickly pivoted to another need. They drafted offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, who was initially described as extremely talented yet extremely raw. Iheanachor, who was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States at 13, did not play football until he joined East Los Angeles College's team in 2021.
Iheanachor quickly developed into one of the top-ranked JUCO players, which led to him joining Arizona State's football team in 2023. He started in five games that season, became a full-time starter in 2024 and was named second-team All-Big 12 in 2025. Iheanachor was met with early adversity with the Steelers after he sustained an injury during training camp.
While the injury temporarily stunted his growth, it didn't stop the Steelers from trading Broderick Jones to the Cowboys in a move that showed how the Steelers felt about their rookie right tackle. It didn't take long for McCarhty to insert Iheanachor into the starting lineup. In Week 3, Iheanachor came in and helped Pittsburgh rip off 411 yards and 30 points in a win over the Bengals.
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