Ahmad Austin Jr.Apr 24th, 2026, 1:50 pm

Former University of Southern California receiver Makai Lemon’s NFL Draft moment took a chaotic turn when he had multiple teams on the phone telling him they were about to pick him.

The first round of the NFL Draft took place Thursday night in Pittsburgh. With the Dallas Cowboys on the clock to make the 20th pick of the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles — who were slated to pick 23rd — make a trade to move into the Cowboys’ spot. With the 20th pick, the Eagles selected Lemon.

Not long after that pick, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport provided some behind-the-scenes details on how the pick actually went down. According to Rapoport, it was widely expected that the Cowboys would use the pick on a defensive player. With the 21st pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers planned on drafting Lemon. Unbeknownst to the Steelers, however, the Eagles were working on a trade for the Cowboys’ pick. As a result, the Steelers were on the phone telling Lemon they’d draft him. Moments later, the Eagles called him and said the same thing.

The next day, NFL Network provided video of the ordeal. In the clip posted online, Steelers general manager Omar Khan called Lemon. As soon as Khan identified himself, Lemon’s family began celebrating as they knew Lemon was about to be drafted.

Moments later, Lemon received a call from the Eagles and asked his agent why they were calling. Suddenly, his agent informed him that the Eagles moved up in the draft to get him.

“This is Philly. They just traded for you!” Lemon’s agent said. “Philly’s taking you right now!”

One moment, Lemon found out he was about to become a Steeler. The next, he learned he actually just became an Eagle.

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