Omar Khan's Massive Mistake Could Put Him In Hot Water With The Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a very highly anticipated offseason in 2026 as the coaching staff has turned over and the fan base has been excited for the 2026 NFL Draft. The Steelers came into the event with the most draft capital in the event, and all eyes were on a potential trade up or down in the first round. Pittsburgh decided to stay put with the 21st overall selection, and the organization selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State. He is considered a raw talent and could go on to have a great career, but the Steelers made some mistakes on draft night.

Pittsburgh went into the draft and it seemed like the selection was either going to come at safety, wide receiver, or along the offensive line. It ended up being a tackle, but that was not Pittsburgh's first option. General Manager Omar Khan was on the phone with wide receiver Makai Lemon before the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock, who had the 20th selection initially. 

Khan called Lemon early, and the Philadelphia Eagles caught wind of the situation and moved up in the event to grab Lemon away from the Steelers. There is now video from the green room that shows Lemon talking with Khan on the phone. The wide receiver and his family began celebrating, and then Philadelphia calls. Lemon is seen asking Khan why the cross-state rival is calling him, and it is just tremendously bad look for Pittsburgh as a whole.

The draft was in the Steel City and Pittsburgh was completely embarrassed on the biggest stage. This falls on Khan, or whoever was in the war room that thought it would be a good idea to call Lemon before the team was actually on the clock. It is a move that makes no sense and would not present the franchise with any sort of additional win, and now it may have cost Pittsburgh a good wide receiver.

Calling a player ahead of time like Khan did is a horrendous idea, and it goes without saying that a team should never do that. He did it because it was assumed that the Cowboys were going to go defense, and, at the very least, Dallas was not going to be drafting a wide receiver. For whatever reason, Khan and the Steelers were not thinking about a team potentially jumping them, and that is what happened.

Khan has been praised for the three full draft classes he has put together since taking over the role of general manager, but this is a blemish on his resume. Lemon could turn out to be a bust and Iheanachor could be an All-Pro ten times, but that doesn't take away the ineptitude that was shown by one of the top organizations in the league.

Steelers Can Still Make Up For Thursday Night's Gaffe

Pittsburgh still has the rest of the draft to go, and as of right now the organization has 11 more selections. Surely some of those picks will be moved, but there is still plenty of opportunity for Pittsburgh to turn this draft around. The organization still needs to land a wide receiver, safety, and probably an interior offensive lineman. 

Khan messed up in the first round. Not with the player he selected, but with the way he went about his business. He has to shake it off and put together another impressive draft class. Right now, the franchise is behind the eight ball.

What do you think of Khan's mistake on Night 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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