Sports

The Eagles Trolled Pittsburgh So Hard After Stealing Its Draft Pick at the Last Second

By Andy Nesbitt Sports Illustrated

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The first round of the NFL draft was a wild one Thursday night. Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 overall to the Raiders as expected, but after that there was plenty of drama and some surprising picks, like the Rams taking Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13.

The funniest move of the night came from the Eagles, who basically stole USC wide receiver Makai Lemon from the Steelers. Philadelphia's social media team then celebrated that move by roasting Pittsburgh with a savage tweet that was about more than just football.

First, let's explain how the Eagles ripped Lemon away from the Steelers

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Pittsburgh was on the phone with Lemon, telling him they were going to take him with the 21st pick. The Cowboys were on the clock with the 20th pick and everyone expected them to pick a defensive player. But that's when things took a crazy turn as the Cowboys traded their pick to the rival Eagles, who then drafted Lemon.

Here's Rapoport explaining how it went down:

Rapoport said:

"The Dallas Cowboys were on the clock at 20 with everyone knowing they were going defense. [The] Pittsburgh Steelers get on the phone with Makai Lemon planning to select him next at 21, except what they didn't know is the Eagles had actually traded up over them, were trying to get in touch with Lemon, but he wasn't answering because he was already on the phone with the Steelers," Rapoport said. "In the end, the Eagles do the trade, they get Makai Lemon, and the Steelers grab a tackle right after."

The Eagles then ruthlessly trolled Pittsburgh

The Eagles were both excited about adding a new weapon to their offense and also more than happy to give Pittsburgh sports another loss this week.

Check out this tweet:

The Philadelphia Flyers are currently playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL playoffs and are one win away from completing a surprising sweep. So not only have Pittsburgh fans had to watch Philadelphia rip their hearts out a number of times this week on the ice, but then they had to watch as the Eagles swooped in and delivered another devastating blow on the first night of the NFL draft.

Ouch.

The Flyers had some fun celebrating the Eagles' move:

Makai Lemon's reaction to the Eagles stealing him away from the Steelers

Lemon, expected by some to be a top-10 pick, was happy to hear his name finally get called and is looking forward to getting to work with one of the top teams in the NFC.

He shared his side of the story, saying he was talking with Pittsburgh when suddenly another call came through.

"The Eagles called me at the same time [as the Steelers], just finding out that they traded up to get me, so I feel like it was meant to be," Lemon said. "I was super excited that they traded up."

Makai Lemon's stats at USC

Lemon played three years at USC, with his biggest season coming in 2025 when he caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. In 2024 he had 52 catches for 764 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games.

More NFL Draft from Sports Illustrated



This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Eagles Trolled Pittsburgh So Hard After Stealing Its Draft Pick at the Last Second .

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 5:31 AM.

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