Even more details have emerged about how the Philadelphia Eagles jumped the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Philadelphia Eagles trading up with the Dallas Cowboys to jump the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver Makai Lemon is arguably the top storyline coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft, and now, even more details have emerged about how it all went down.
The Cowboys were actually the team trying to move down in the first round and pinpointed the Eagles as a top trade partner.
"Just call Howie [Roseman], Steve [Jones]," someone in the Cowboys draft war room said during ESPN's The Pick Is In .
"I'm hoping he'll call and say, 'We'll do it for it for two four's.' We got time," Jones responded. "It's not like we're down to 20 seconds."
However, the Cowboys ended up calling Roseman and the Eagles and they were able to strike a deal.
"Howie? Hey, this is Stephen," Jones said. "We'd for sure do it for the two fourths. I'll throw you a next year seven."
"OK, we've got a deal," Roseman responded.
In the following moments, the call that has now likely been seen by most fans was shown of Steelers general manager Omar Khan talking with Lemon on the phone.
Khan and the Steelers were completely unaware that the Eagles had traded up for Lemon, though, and the former USC star had to hang up with Pittsburgh, ending the team's dreams of landing him.
The rest is history, and the Steelers eventually selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the No. 21 overall pick.
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Max Iheanachor and Mike McCarthy and Omar Kahn and Art Rooney with a No. 1 jersey during Iheanachor's introductory press conference on April 24, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
There's no doubt that all of the teams involved will be closely watching how the trade plays out over the next few years.
The Cowboys will now have to face Lemon at least twice a year and the Steelers traded up in the second round to grab Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard .
However, the Eagles seem to be the early favorites to come out looking the best on the other end after Lemon broke out with 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : New Details Emerge About Eagles Trade-Up For Makai Lemon
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