PHILADELPHIA — This is what Howie Roseman does. The Philadelphia Eagles’ ruthless general manager routinely makes opposing front offices appear out of their depth.
It just so happens that on Thursday, a momentous night for Pittsburgh as the football world flocked to the Steel City for the 2026 NFL Draft, it was the Steelers who were left looking silly at the Roseman’s expense.
The Steelers were going to take USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 21 overall pick.
They were literally on the phone with Lemon, who was sitting in the green room outside Acrisure Stadium, informing him that he was staying in Pittsburgh.
Instead, Lemon is headed to the eastern side of the state. Unbeknownst to Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan and Co., the Eagles traded up from No. 23 to No. 20.
Roseman “shocked” Lemon, ripped the rug out from under the Steelers and stole arguably the best wide receiver in the draft from their in-state foe.
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
We don’t need to harp on the embarrassment the Steelers must have felt. A day after the Flyers took a 3-0 series lead on the Penguins in the NHL playoffs, Philly got another one over on Pittsburgh. Steelers fans expressed enough of their own frustrations on Thursday night.
What we should focus on here from an Eagles’ perspective is the prowess of Roseman.
Philly fans are lucky they have a GM with the decisiveness and conviction to make Lemon-like moves.
Roseman said after selecting Lemon that he didn’t want to “sit on our hands.” The Eagles viewed Lemon as a top-15 prospect who fell further than he should. Roseman saw a value play and made it, trading the No. 23 pick and a couple fourth-rounders with the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys to jump in front of Pittsburgh.
This isn’t the first time Roseman has pulled off something like this. It’s the fifth time in the last six drafts that the Eagles have traded up in the first round to get their guy.
In 2021, the Eagles jumped the Giants for DeVonta Smith. In 2022 and 2023, they moved up for Georgia defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Last year, they got Jihaad Campbell.
None of those trades required earth-shattering compensation packages. Roseman dealt Day 3 picks to slide up a spot or two in all four scenarios. But they were made with value in mind.
Smith, Carter and Campbell were all ranked higher than where the Eagles drafted them. And they’ve all panned out, with Smith, Carter and Davis contributing to a Super Bowl title.
We’ll see if Lemon can provide a similar impact. The fact that the Eagles traded up for him doesn’t mean that Lemon will be a success in the NFL. The draft is a crapshoot, and it’s impossible to know that now.
But we do know Lemon is a damn good prospect. The Biletnikoff Award winner for college football’s top receiver had 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. There’s a reason the gritty, dynamic receiver was one of Daniel Jeremiah’s favorite players in the draft.
We do know the Eagles needed help with A.J. Brown expected to be traded. Lemon is poised to be a new, dangerous weapon for Jalen Hurts in an offense that required refreshing. Maybe Khan and Pittsburgh’s brass should have expected a move for Lemon given that reality.
The Eagles also need a successor at right tackle for the aging Lane Johnson. Maybe the Steelers thought Roseman would sit at No. 23 and select Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor or Utah’s Caleb Lomu to eventually take over for the future Hall of Famer.
But we know — and Roseman knows, as he always says — that you can’t dictate the board. There was an early run on tackles with Utah’s Spencer Fano, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor going in the top 15. Clemson’s Blake Miller and Georgia’s Monroe Freeling went to the Lions and Panthers at Nos. 17 and 19, respectively.