The 2026 NFL Draft was one for the ages. From legitimate surprises in selections to an extremely deep run for valuable players, it led to some pretty interesting storylines emerging almost immediately.
However, none was quite as shocking as Makai Lemon. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles via trade, he was the reported choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers just one pick later. Now, general manager Howie Roseman takes us behind the scenes on a clutch steal on the first day of the draft.
Howie Roseman Recounts the Makai Lemon Trade
The Eagles needed to make some changes to the roster. After winning the Super Bowl, the team could not perform at nearly the same level last season. That led to a Wild Card Round exit at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, leaving Roseman with a tough offseason ahead.
Among the biggest questions on the roster was A.J. Brown. Inarguably a superstar wide receiver, his constant criticism of the offense had become a story all season and may have been a detriment to the team.
As a result, trade rumors ran rampant throughout the summer about a potential move. Now, a trade to the New England Patriots seems to be in the works, which could leave Philadelphia without a superstar playmaker.
The trade with the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL Draft came as a result, as the Eagles parted with picks 23, 114, and 137 to secure Lemon at 20. However, during that process, they jumped over the Steelers, who were quite literally on the phone with the star wideout at the time.
Now, making an appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show,” Roseman broke down the entire process to bring in the USC product to the Eagles roster. “The trade with the Cowboys happened pretty quickly on the clock,” he revealed.
“We had done some ground work with them before they were on the clock, and kind of just had to finalize some of the terms,” Roseman continued. “So, we got on the clock pretty quickly. We waited a minute just to kind of explain to our staff what we were going to do, what we were going to pick, kind of get our ducks in a row.”
That’s when things got out of hand. “We started calling at about six minutes. So, when you have six minutes, not much panic there.” However, with Lemon, it became a particularly special case.
“Sometimes when you call guys, it goes to voicemail. You’ve got to get back on them; they’re doing other things.” Unfortunately, the wait to contact Lemon, which took about three minutes, got the better of Roseman.
As he confessed, “I went to a dark place. I went to a place where it’s like, ‘We better find out where this guy is and get him on the phone for us to pick him right here.’ So, you know, started calling the agent, couldn’t get in touch with him. Kept calling Makai, and then, fortunately, with about 3 minutes left, got in touch with him.”
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The worry for Roseman was born out of genuine concern for Lemon’s well-being. But as most of us have found out in the days to follow the draft, the superstar wide receiver was already on a call with the Steelers at the time, who planned on selecting him at 21.
Instead, the Eagles call came in at the perfect moment, and he will now be repping them in 2026 as a potential starter from Day 1. According to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, Philadelphia posted an impact score of 74.6 last season, ranking 16th in the league. Hopefully, Lemon will be able to help them improve that.
