It’s hard to think of a more polarizing, stunning, and confusing draft the Pittsburgh Steelers have had recently. And in a draft so unpredictable, Steelers fans have had a front-row seat, watching the events unfold right in their own backyard. 

It started on Thursday night, when general manager Omar Khan was on the phone with USC’s standout wide receiver Makai Lemon. The Dallas Cowboys were on the clock, with the Steelers on deck and hoping to land a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since Santonio Holmes 20 years ago. 

Then, the call heard around the state happened. 

Mid-call with Khan, the Philadelphia Eagles swung a trade with their bitter rivals in Dallas to leapfrog the Steelers and take Lemon at 20. Left at the altar, Pittsburgh turned to offensive lineman Max Iheanachor, a pick that wasn’t popular upon announcement and got an even worse reception once the Lemon phone call details came out. 

Fast forward to night two, and the Steelers took their fans on a rollercoaster ride. Pittsburgh, entering the draft with 12 picks total and having 11 heading into Friday, used some of that extra capital to move up to pick 47. 

With that second-round selection, they took Alabama wideout Germie Bernard. Truthfully, the Steelers could have taken a number of names at that spot. As long as it said “WR” next to his name, the home crowd would have cheered. 

But when it was time for their next pick in round three, the Steelers put their fans right back through the ringer again. At 76th overall, the Steelers selected quarterback Drew Allar out of Penn State.