Steelers' Mike McCarthy Explains Makai Lemon Phone Call Amid Trending Video, Iheanachor Pick

During an appearance Friday on the Rich Eisen Show, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the Philadelphia Eagles trading in front of the Steelers to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Thursday night.

On Thursday morning, a video posted on X by the NFL went viral, as it showed Lemon on the field with representatives for the Steelers before then getting contacted by the Eagles and being told by his agent that the Eagles had traded up to draft him:

When Lemon came off the board one pick before the Steelers, Pittsburgh shifted its focus to the trenches, selecting Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor at No. 21 overall.

When asked by Eisen if he had ever experienced a situation similar to what went down with Lemon on Thursday, McCarthy acknowledged that he hadn't:

However, McCarthy expressed satisfaction over the Iheanachor pick, saying, "When you get down to these picks, particularly when you're down in the 20s, you usually have a pod of players, which was our case. Lemon was definitely part of that, he's a fine player. ... I think the good lord always works his magic, and Max is with us. I feel great about the way it ended up. Lemon will do great over there in Philadelphia, but we're right where we need to be for good reason."

The Eagles have long been aggressive in trading up in the first round of the NFL draft under general manager Howie Roseman, so it came as little surprise that they moved up three spots to get their guy in Lemon.

It has been rumored for months that the Eagles plan to trade star wide receiver A.J. Brown at some point this offseason, and the selection of Lemon may have removed any doubt about that being the case.

As for the Steelers, they addressed an area of need on the offensive line by taking Iheanachor, and they can fall back on the fact that they already addressed wide receiver in a big way this offseason by acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Steelers are next scheduled to pick at No. 53 overall in the second round, and wideout could be a consideration for them once again at that spot.