Steelers Insider Gerry Dulac: Pittsburgh Considered Trading Up for Makai Lemon

The Pittsburgh Steelers had three players they were willing to trade up for on draft night, and one of them was Mekhi Becton.

Steelers insider Gerry Dulac came on the show and walked through the war-room math, the failed move-up window, and what actually happened when the Eagles jumped ahead at the worst possible moment.

"Rich, there were three guys they were willing to trade up to get, and two of them were going to be unreachable," Dulac said. "And those were the two highest-rated players, Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate."

The third name was the realistic target.

"The third guy they were willing to trade up to get was Mekhi Becton," Dulac said.

Pittsburgh thought a move was possible at 15 with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers had other ideas.

"When Reuben Bain was still on the board, Tampa Bay obviously loved Reuben Bain, and so they weren't willing to trade down," Dulac said.

That left the Steelers in a holding pattern, hoping they would not need to move.

"I think the Steelers thought, okay, from what they see in front of them, it looks pretty good to be able to get Mekhi Becton," Dulac said.

Then Philadelphia jumped in front of them, and Becton was gone. The narrative that followed accused either the Eagles or the Cowboys, or both, of snookering the Steelers. Dulac dismissed the framing.

"I go back to 2014, I think, when the Cowboys were on the phone with Ryan Shazier, and nobody made a trade I think at 15 or 16," Dulac said. "The Steelers had the 15th pick, and while Ryan Shazier was on the phone with the Cowboys, the Steelers called and drafted him. And the Cowboys obviously weren't happy about it. But there was nothing underhanded about it. That's the way it works sometimes."

The actual pick the Steelers made, Maxi Ehanachor, did not get a parade. Dulac was honest about the room temperature.

"There wasn't exactly a big cheer when they drafted Maxi Ehanachor, you know, another offensive lineman," Dulac said. "Three of the last four years they've done that in the first round. Not that he's not a quality player. But I think they were kind of hoping for more of a splash guy, and Mekhi Becton would have definitely been that."

Rich offered an alternate read. Maybe Ehanachor is closer to what Pittsburgh actually needs.

Dulac added the day-two piece that he thinks decides whether this draft cooks.

"Let me say real quickly, with your Jeremy Bernard, is that he's going to be the key," Dulac said. "If Jeremy Bernard can be the player that they thought Mekhi Becton could be, then all of a sudden Maxi Ehanachor looks even better."