NFL Week 3 may have already proved that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft day disaster was actually a blessing in disguise
The Pittsburgh Steelers were the laughingstock of the NFL when the Eagles jumped them for Makai Lemon, but the early returns on both players tell a very different story through 3 weeks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and general manager Omar Khan took a beating on night one of the NFL Draft back in April. When the Philadelphia Eagles jumped ahead and snagged wide receiver Makai Lemon, the player Pittsburgh reportedly wanted, it looked like Khan got outmaneuvered by Howie Roseman on a national stage. Steelers fans were furious, and the rest of the league was laughing. But three weeks into the 2026 NFL season, there’s a chance that what happened in Round 1 of the NFL Draft is already proving to be a blessing in disguise.
Max Iheanachor looked like a different player on Sunday
Iheanachor made his first career NFL start on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he was outstanding. The Steelers’ offense went from what looked borderline junior varsity to a unit that could compete against anybody. Pittsburgh put up 30 points against a Bengals defense that had been playing lights out through the first two weeks of the season.
A major reason for the offensive explosion was that quarterback Aaron Rodgers finally had time to throw. The Steelers pulled Dylan Cook from the lineup, inserted Iheanachor, and he was phenomenal. Per PFF, Iheanachor allowed only two pressures on 37 pass-blocking snaps. That kind of protection changes everything for a 42-year-old quarterback, and Iheanachor’s presence in the lineup helped unlock it all.
Aaron Rodgers stats vs. Bengals
- 19/34 passing
- 292 passing yards
- 3 TDS
Makai Lemon’s early returns in Philadelphia are concerning
So what does all of this have to do with the draft? If you remember, the Steelers wanted Lemon. Somehow word got out, the Eagles jumped them, and Philadelphia took him. Pittsburgh pivoted to its backup plan, and that backup plan is now wearing No. 71 in black and gold.
Through three games, Lemon has seven receptions for 38 receiving yards. Not three quarters. Three full games. It was not a pretty night for Lemon on Monday Night Football either. Former Steelers linebacker Devin Bush, who Pittsburgh fans know did not pan out as a first-round pick himself, was putting the clamps on Lemon on a certain rep.
Whether it’s a slow transition from college to the pros, a rough preseason and training camp marred by injuries, or something else entirely, Lemon has not looked worthy of a first-round selection through the early portion of his career.
Too early to declare winners, but the trend favors Pittsburgh
I’m not going to call Lemon a bust. It’s only been three weeks, and you have to give a rookie at least three years to determine his NFL future. The early returns, however, are not encouraging for Philadelphia.
The bottom line is this: the draft day fiasco where it looked like Omar Khan got sniped by Howie Roseman, where he was the laughingstock of the NFL, may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If Iheanachor continues to play the way he did on Sunday, and if Lemon’s struggles continue in Philadelphia, Khan and the Steelers front office will have the last laugh on a night that felt like a total disaster.
