A moment that can only be described as the absolute pinnacle of embarrassment — the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the phone with top-wide receiver prospect Makai Lemon during the 2026 NFL Draft, ready to make their No. 21 selection without realizing the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to No. 20 for the talented playmaker. And Lemon just confirmed the humiliating draft story.

Following the draft moment, Lemon revealed that he was talking with the Steelers until he realized his phone was still ringing. And sure enough, it was the Eagles ready to make him their 20th overall draft pick after trading with the Dallas Cowboys.

"Yeah, first I answered the phone, and it was the Steelers," Lemon said via NBC Sports. "And then my phone kept ringing. I look, and it's the Eagles. They traded up, and then they were going to pick me. I feel like everything happened for a reason."

The Steelers, having their original selection preference in Lemon stolen out from under them, wound up reaching on Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick.

Pittsburgh's front office had plenty of opportunities to trade up for Lemon throughout the 2026 NFL Draft and have no one to blame but themselves for this disastrous blunder.

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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers' NFL Draft mistake confirmed by Eagles WR Makai Lemon