Philadelphia Trolls Pittsburgh After Snatching Makai Lemon

Philadelphia Flyers Hockey team took a swipe at the Pittsburgh Steelers for losing WR Makai Lemon to the Philadelphia Eagles in the draft.

Philadelphia Trolls Pittsburgh After Snatching Makai Lemon

Makai Lemon and Howie Roseman (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Philadelphia Flyers mocked the Steelers on social media after they lost out on Makai Lemon.
  • Makai Lemon was drafted by the Eagles after a trade, surprising both him and the Steelers.
  • Eagles further traded for linebacker Jonathan Greenard, enhancing their roster after the draft.

The rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh extends far beyond the gridiron. For decades, these two cities have competed against each other in nearly every sport imaginable, so why leave social media out of it? After the Steelers botched the Makai Lemon draft, the official X account of Philadelphia’s hockey team took a jab at their Pennsylvanian neighbors.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been on a roll lately. Right around the time when the Eagles blindsided the Steelers to draft Lemon, the Flyers recorded a third win in a seven-game playoff series.

They celebrated by poking fun at the Steelers for losing out on Lemon. “Welcome to Philly, Makai! You’ll like things on the east side of PA,” the Flyers X account posted.

How did Makai Lemon end up with the Eagles instead of the Steelers?

The Steelers loved Lemon when he visited the facility on the Top 30 tour. Mock drafts projected Lemon heading to Pittsburgh at 21.

Philadelphia Trolls Pittsburgh After Snatching Makai Lemon
Makai Lemon (Image via IMAGO)

On Thursday, the Steelers called Lemon into the green room and told him they were ready to make him their first selection of the 2026 draft. However, the Steelers did not predict the Eagles trading up to 20, a pick previously owned by the Dallas Cowboys.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman tried to contact Lemon on his phone, but he was busy speaking with the Steelers. As the Eagles were on the clock, they submitted their pick and selected Lemon 20th overall.

Later, Lemon admitted that he was a little shocked to see that the Eagles wanted him more than any other team.

I was definitely shocked, you know, definitely, but I couldn’t be even more happy that they [the Eagles] did [traded up to draft him]. I am super blessed… It was the right time, the right team, everything worked out just it was supposed to be.

Makai Lemon revealed

Lemon made 33 appearances in college football with the USC Trojans. In those games, he registered 137 receptions for 2008 yards and 14 touchdowns.

With Lemon literally stolen from under their noses, the Steelers had to fall back on Plan B. They drafted Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor as cover for injured Broderick Jones. Iheanachor was the sixth tackle selected in the first round.

Makai Lemon is already embracing the Philly culture

A day after Lemon was drafted by the Eagles, the 21-year-old attended the Philadelphia Sixers game against the Boston Celtics alongside Pro Bowl wideout DeVonta Smith. Upon reaching the venue, the Eagles’ head of security, Big Dom, asked both players to change into Sixers gear.

The Eagles made a massive day two trade and landed a veteran linebacker

Roseman pulled another rabbit out of his hat on day two of the draft. The Eagles traded for Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Greenard and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick from the Minnesota Vikings and sent a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick to the NFC North franchise. Greenard was at the Sixers-Celtics game when the trade took place. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark tracked Greenard down.

Greenard has made a total of 77 NFL appearances with the Vikings and the Houston Texans before joining the Minnesota-based club. He accumulated 217 combined tackles, 38.0 sacks, 14 passes defended, 8 forced fumbles, and one interception. According to Spotrac, Greenard signed a four-year, $100 million contract with the Eagles.

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