Steelers Were Severely Disappointed After Failure To Trade Up For More Than Just Makai Lemon

The story of the Pittsburgh Steelers missing out on their top target has been told over and over again since it happened on Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. They were on the phone with receiver prospect Makai Lemon, but the Philadelphia Eagles traded up and stole him away. Pittsburgh responded by pivoting to offensive tackle Max Iheanachor at Pick 21. Now, the two players will forever be linked together due to circumstances completely out of their control, despite the fact that they play completely different positions. 

In his latest report, insider Gerry Dulac spoke about that draft blunder, but he used it to introduce another issue. After picking Iheanachor, the Steelers were looking to trade up for another receiver, but an AFC rival beat them to the punch. 

"And they might have compounded their disappointment when the New York Jets gave up a second- and [fifth]-round selection to move back into the first round to take Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., another receiver the Steelers really liked, at No. 30," Dulac said. "Worse, the Steelers had even more draft capital than the Jets to make the same move and didn’t — or couldn’t."

The Steelers were rumored to be very interested in selecting receiver Omar Cooper Jr. as well as Lemon. In fact, some sportsbooks had him as the favorite to be selected by Pittsburgh at Pick 21 before the draft began. Clearly, they liked the upside of Iheanachor at offensive line more than they did the fifth receiver taken off the board, but that didn't mean General Manager Omar Khan wasn't working the phones to make a move. 

The New York Jets had the 33rd overall pick in the draft and clearly wanted Cooper as well. They moved up three spots to get him, and it only cost them a fifth-round pick to make that move. The Steelers eventually made their own trade-up to bring in Germie Bernard to add to their receiver corps, but there has to be some frustration that they had to settle on him as opposed to getting Lemon or Cooper.

The Steelers originally had the 53rd overall pick. If they wanted to move up from there to Pick 30, it would have cost them at least a third-round pick to do so. They were clearly hoping that Cooper would have a hard fall into the second round, and Lemon's steep fall gave them hope that it could happen again. Instead, the Jets ruined that plan and made a move to get their guy at the end of the first round. 

Once the Steelers opted to not trade away a third-round pick and get Lemon, it was clear that they would not do that for a lesser receiver. To get Bernard, they gave up the 135th overall pick as well as a seventh-round pick swap. While it was good that they were proactive in getting their guy, it still feels like an underwhelming move, as they wanted to do that two other times before that and failed in both instances.

Steelers' Rookie Receiver May Not Matter In 2026

No matter if the Steelers landed Lemon, Cooper, or Bernard, there is still the issue of the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers, who is expected to re-sign eventually, has historically had his issues with young receivers. As the second-round rookie learns the ropes, it is fair to question if he will see significant playing time as the 42-year-old would much rather have veterans catching passes from him.

If it's not Rodgers, then it will most likely be Will Howard running the show. He has no professional game experience up to this point, so he will be relying more on the safe options until he gets comfortable throughout the year. Either way, Bernard will likely be looking for his breakout in 2027 or later, as opposed making a big impact immediately.

What do you think about the Steelers failing to trade up for a wide receiver a second time in the 2026 NFL Draft? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

#SteelerNation