NFL could punish Steelers for calling Makai Lemon while Eagles were on the clock
The league will review whether Pittsburgh violated any rules by calling Lemon while Philadelphia was trying to reach him.
Makai Lemon is officially a Philadelphia Eagle, but he was nearly headed to Pittsburgh on draft night. When the Eagles traded up with Dallas to the No. 20 overall pick, they were trying to reach Lemon to confirm the pick.
However, Lemon was on the phone with Steelers GM Omar Khan, who was trying to select him at No. 21. Here is the moment Makai Lemon thought he was getting drafted by #Steelers and realizing in real time that the #Eagles traded up, via @gmfb this morning.
He asked Omar Khan "Why is Philly calling [me]? " pic. twitter.
com/AbXDJONYye — Ross McCorkle (@Ross_McCorkle) April 24, 2026 Pittsburgh assumed that the Cowboys were going to select a defender, so they were getting a jump on Lemon. According to former Eagles executive Jake Rosenberg, teams are not permitted to speak with players if it interferes with the team that is on the clock. “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, the player’s health, or other such non-financial matters, so long as these discussions do not interfere with discussions between a player and the club that is ‘on the clock.