NFL Likely To Punish Steelers For Draft Night Fiasco That Could Create A Rift Amongst Team Brass

The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the main teams that were talked about throughout the 2026 NFL Draft. That is, of course, because the city of Pittsburgh was hosting the event, but the Steelers also put themselves in a bad spot on the first night of the draft. General Manager Omar Khan seemingly prematurely called wide receiver Makai Lemon without the team being on the clock, and this tipped off the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia then got on the phone with the Dallas Cowboys, who held the pick before Pittsburgh. A trade was made and the Eagles were able to 'steal' Lemon from the Steelers.

This situation has been discussed extensively since Thursday night when it took place, and it should make the Steelers feel some embarrassment for the way the whole thing went down. It's not good to be on the phone with a prospect before even being on the clock, and now Pittsburgh is going to be under investigation for the entire thing. To make matters worse, Pittsburgh's first-round pick, Max Iheanachor, now knows he was not the team's top option. Beat writer Mark Kaboly joined 93.7 The Fan on Monday morning, and he spoke about potential repercussions for Pittsburgh. He was also asked about how Team Owner and President Art Rooney II must feel.

"He's probably going to get fined, I would imagine," Kaboly said. "The view of this would be 100 percent different if that audio and video didn't come out. You could plausibly deny. Now you double down, and everybody heard his voice. Just in case you didn't know what it was, we'll put subtitles on it."

Kaboly was talking about how the organization will probably face some sort of repercussions for calling a player before being on the clock, but he also spoke about how the franchise has good reason to be upset with the NFL as well. There are thousands of videos and audio clips that do not get put out there as the league tries to protect its teams and its overall image, so allowing the clip of Lemon speaking with Khan on the phone being released publicly is a bit ridiculous.

It was hypothesized on the radio that Rooney cannot be happy with Khan. Khan's actions open the franchise up to investigation, and Rooney's pockets could take a hit. The entire situation also takes away from what draft weekend was supposed to be all about: the city of Pittsburgh. Everything looked fantastic in person and the broadcast made the city look amazing, but this entire fiasco kind of overshadowed the city on Night 1.

This could create some friction between Rooney and Khan, although it is nothing that the two wouldn't be able to get over. It is nothing that will cost Khan his job right now, but it will probably be brought up in the future if things take a turn for the worse.

What's Next For The Steelers Following 2026 NFL Draft?

A slight fine seems like the most severe punishment that the Steelers might receive from the league for calling Lemon early. It was an innocent maneuver that only made the Steelers look bad, and it wasn't like Pittsburgh did this in an attempt to get a leg up on another team. The NFL reviews everything that goes on during the NFL Draft, so this call and situation is going to be investigated by the league. A decision on any potential punishment would probably come in a week or so. However, the amount of embarrassment this move has already caused the Steelers should be seen as enough punishment. The Eagles still got the guy they were going after, so no harm was done.