{"id":174732,"date":"2026-04-24T10:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/174732\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T10:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:02:10","slug":"steelers-failed-3-times-with-one-first-round-draft-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/174732\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers Failed 3 Times with One First-Round Draft Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026 NFL Draft<\/a>\u2022Steelers News<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"PittsburghPittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan at a press conference to introduce head coach Mike McCarthy on Jan. 27, 2026. — Ed Thompson \/ Steelers Now\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

PITTSBURGH \u2014 The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to draft a quarterback.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That was initial the plan for the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>, all the way back to this time last year, when general manager Omar Khan<\/a> eschewed quarterback for what appeared to be a better class this time around. That class didn\u2019t materialize, with just two quarterbacks taken in the first round on Thursday night \u2014 one a shocker when the Los Angeles Rams made the surprise of the night<\/a> by selecting Alabama\u2019s Ty Simpson<\/a> at No. 13.<\/p>\n

That plan failed. There might not be another quarterback taken for two more rounds, with the 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class completely falling apart thanks to injuries, poor performance and NIL guarantees luring some back to college. By the time the pre-draft process rolled around, it was pretty clear that the Steelers were not going to get their franchise quarterback this year.<\/p>\n

The obvious pivot was wide receiver, where the Steelers have not used a first-round pick since 2006 and have spent each of the last two seasons without a legitimate No. 2 option.\u00a0Even after signing veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a>, the Steelers have just two bona fide NFL players at the position, with a total of 16 catches in 2025 from players beyond Pittman and DK Metcalf.<\/a> This in an offense that usually starts three of them.<\/p>\n

They were also presented with a very deep class in this year\u2019s draft, with six wide receivers projected to be taken in the first round. Five went.<\/p>\n

\"PittsburghApr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. \u2014 Kirby Lee \/ Imagn Images<\/p>\n

How do we know the Steelers\u2019 obvious pivot was wide receiver? Well, for one, they were in the process of attempting to draft wide receiver Makai Lemon<\/a> before the Philadelphia Eagles poached him<\/a>, trading with their divisional rivals the Dallas Cowboys to get to No. 20.<\/p>\n

But we knew the Steelers were primarily interested in a wide receiver in this class because their own interests<\/a> told us that. The Steelers had seven wide receivers in for pre-draft visits, had formal visits with 13 of them at the 2026 NFL Combine, and also had Khan and head coach Mike McCarthy<\/a> at the pro day of another. All told, the Steelers had confirmed pre-draft contact with 15 of the top 16 wide receivers in the draft class.<\/p>\n

They did not have that level of interest in tackles, inviting three in for pre-draft visits, and holding combine formals with two more, while the top brass went to the Georgia pro day to talk to Monroe Freeling.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s establish it as a fact that the Steelers were interested in a wide receiver in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and wanted one a good bit more than they wanted an offensive tackle, and therefore, they did a lot more work when it came to scouting the wide receivers than they did the tackles.<\/p>\n

\"PittsburghPittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan during a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 15, 2025. \u2014 Ed Thompson \/ Steelers Now <\/p>\n

Plan A? That was quarterback. That failed. Plan B? That was wide receiver, and that failed, too. But it didn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n

Lemon was widely projected as a top-15 talent and seemed unlikely to fall to the Steelers at No. 21. But as several teams made way-off-the-board selections, the reality of that possibility became greater.<\/p>\n

The Steelers likely considered trading up for Lemon, perhaps as high as No. 15 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team they had been connected to in rumored trade talks. But the Bucs got their own sweetheart to fall to them, landing projected top 10 talent, Miami edge rusher Reuben Bain<\/a>. There was a run of teams that did not seem all that interested in trading away from their picks, and somehow, Lemon remained on the board, with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers passing him up.<\/p>\n

When the Panthers went with Freeling<\/a>, it seemed relatively clear that the Dallas Cowboys, who have been hyper-focused on defense in this year\u2019s draft, were not going to take Lemon.<\/p>\n

The Steelers went as far as to call Lemon, telling him they intended to draft him, when Eagles general manager Howie Roseman decided to make a move. Lemon was already on the phone with the Steelers when the Eagles traded to No. 20, sliding in front of Pittsburgh to get the falling top-flight receiver.<\/p>\n

\"HowieFeb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. \u2014 Kirby Lee \/ Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Eagles paid a lot for the trade up. Roseman sent picks No. 114 and No. 137 to the Cowboys in the fourth round to move up three spots and get ahead of the Steelers. According to the Rich Hill trade value chart<\/a>, which is trained on actual previous NFL trades, the difference between pick No. 20 and pick No. 23 is 16 points. Roseman sent 34 points of trade material back to Dallas.<\/p>\n

Khan was clearly caught unaware that the Eagles were lurking, but even if he had known that there was an offer out for the No. 20 pick, deciding not to meet it would have been reasonable.<\/p>\n

The Steelers have done quite well with fourth-round picks under Khan, landing Nick Herbig<\/a>, Mason McCormick <\/a>and Jack Sawyer<\/a> over the last three years. Trading two of those three to move up three spots in the draft would seem crazy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also, as mentioned, a very deep wide receiver class. Lemon was the consensus No. 13 player and No. 3 wide receiver in the class. Omar Cooper Jr.<\/a> was the consensus No. 4 wide receiver and No. 22 player in the class. KC Concepcion<\/a> was right behind him, the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 23 player in the class. Denzel Boston<\/a> was No. 25.<\/p>\n

\"OmarIndiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) against the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL, on Jan 19, 2026. \u2014 Mark J. Rebilas \/ Imagn ImagesCredit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It would have been very reasonable if Khan got to the podium, having lost out on Lemon, and said, \u201cYes, we liked Makai Lemon, but we also really liked (one of the other wide receivers the team highly scouted). We were happy with either falling to us, and we didn\u2019t think paying two fourths two move up one spot made sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooper was recruited out of high school by Steelers wide receivers coach Adam Henry<\/a> and played in college for the brother of Steelers offensive assistant Frank Cignetti<\/a>. Both he and Concepcion had formal interviews with the Steelers at the NFL Combine<\/a>. Boston was one of the very few players to get both a combine invite from the Steelers and come to Pittsburgh for a top-30 pre-draft visit. They did plenty of work on those players.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not what the Steelers did. Instead of addressing their clear need \u2014 and desire \u2014 at wide receiver, they turned to Plan C, drafting offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.<\/a><\/p>\n

Iheanachor was a fast-rising prospect, the darling of many in the scouting community after coming from relatively unknown origins. The Nigerian native was late to take up football, not playing until college. After a start out in junior college, he started his final two seasons at Arizona State at right tackle.<\/p>\n

The Steelers do not need a right tackle. Troy Fautanu<\/a>, the team\u2019s 2024 first-round pick, had a very strong rookie season there in 2025. They might need a left tackle, where 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones<\/a> has yet to fully recover from offseason neck surgery.<\/p>\n

But the Steelers have insisted that reports he suffered a recent setback are not true.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing has changed with Broderick,\u201d Khan said on Monday. \u201cHe\u2019s still working to try to get back to where he needs to be. Nothing has changed there. No new information since we last spoke in March.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PittsburghPittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones at OTAs on June 5, 2025. \u2014 Ed Thompson \/ Steelers Now<\/p>\n

So what are the Steelers going to do with Iheanachor? What\u2019s their vision for him as the team\u2019s first-round pick? Will Fautanu move to left tackle? No one seems to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think all those things are discussions that will occur after the draft,\u201d head coach Mike McCarthy<\/a> said. \u201cWe had two really good days, Monday and Tuesday, the work with our men, and frankly, we looked at as much position flex throughout the individual drills that we did work with the offensive line. We even had some \u2014 not team drills, but group activity that we worked a number of the offensive linemen, both left and right. It\u2019s part of being a new staff. They\u2019re excited about it. We wanted to see what this weekend brings, and we\u2019re off to a heck of a start for our offensive line room. Position flex is huge. It\u2019s bigger than ever in the NFL. 17 games is real. And to add Max to this group is \u2014 I can\u2019t tell you how excited we are with the pick.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCarthy said specifically that Iheanachor will play tackle for the Steelers. Asked if he would play right tackle, he said \u201cHe hasn\u2019t arrived yet. I just talked about position flex. He\u2019s part of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PittsburghOct 18, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils offensive lineman Max Iheanachor (58) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Mountain America Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas \/ Imagn Images<\/p>\n

So the Steelers wanted to draft a quarterback. When one wasn\u2019t available, they sensibly pivoted to wide receiver. A failure, but one that was largely out of their control. When the Eagles sniped Lemon, that was also a failure \u2014 one that was more in their control \u2014 but still not an unreasonable one. Who would think the Dallas Cowboys would help the Philadelphia Eagles do anything?<\/p>\n

But to end up drafting a position the team clearly didn\u2019t prefer, without the ability to even illustrate the beginnings of a plan for how to use him or how he might fit with the team\u2019s existing offensive line makes it clear that the Steelers panicked and reached when the Eagles upset their process.<\/p>\n

Iheanachor may turn out to be a good tackle. He has a high ceiling, is young and strong. Scouts love him for good reason. But it\u2019s clear that he was drafted without any real plan or thought process other than pure panic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That failure is far less forgivable.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned In This Article: 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> Max Iheanachor<\/a> Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> Steelers<\/a> top<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Draft\u2022Steelers News Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan at a press conference to introduce head coach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[31803,76713,73,75,74,1833,1829,17531],"class_list":{"0":"post-174732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-max-iheanachor","10":"tag-pittsburgh","11":"tag-pittsburgh-headlines","12":"tag-pittsburgh-news","13":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","14":"tag-steelers","15":"tag-top"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}