As the 2025 NFL season winds toward its final weeks, it’s becoming increasingly clear where the Pittsburgh Steelers need help-and it’s not exactly a mystery. One of the most glaring holes on this roster is at wide receiver, a position that’s quietly become a revolving door in recent years.
Let’s start with what’s changed. The Steelers haven’t used a premium draft pick on a receiver in three years-no selections higher than the third round-and the results have shown.
Roman Wilson, a third-round pick from this past draft, hasn’t gained much traction in the offense. And the most talented wideout on the roster heading into the season, George Pickens, was traded to the Dallas Cowboys before Week 1.
That left Pittsburgh scrambling to retool its receiving corps, and while the addition of DK Metcalf was a splashy move, the supporting cast hasn’t held up its end. Metcalf is coming off his best game in black and gold, showing flashes of the game-breaking ability that made him a Pro Bowl-caliber player in Seattle. But without a reliable second option to draw coverage or stretch the field, the Steelers’ passing game has struggled to find consistency.
That could change in April.
In a recent mock draft, ESPN’s Field Yates has the Steelers selecting USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. And based on what Lemon brings to the table, it’s a move that could finally give Pittsburgh the dynamic one-two punch it’s been missing.
Yates didn’t hold back in his praise for Lemon, calling him a “certified baller” despite a more modest frame-5'11", 195 pounds-that doesn’t scream prototypical WR1. But in today’s NFL, size isn’t everything.
Route running, hands, body control-those are the traits that separate good receivers from great ones. And Lemon checks all the boxes.
He’s got one of the best catch radiuses Yates has seen in the last three draft classes, and his hands are as reliable as they come-just one drop per season over three years. That kind of consistency is gold in the modern passing game, especially for a team that’s struggled to find steady production at the position.
For general manager Omar Khan, this would be a chance to finally solidify a position that’s been patched together with short-term fixes. After the Pickens trade, the Steelers leaned on veterans like Allen Robinson II, Van Jefferson, and Mike Williams-names that carried more weight in past seasons than they do now. And the desperation was real: Pittsburgh even turned to 35-year-old Adam Thielen and journeyman Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who spent much of the year bouncing between practice squads.
That’s not a long-term solution. Lemon could be.
Pairing a young, polished route-runner like Lemon with the physical presence of Metcalf would give the Steelers a legitimate duo to build around-something they haven’t had since the peak days of Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. And it’s been a long time since Pittsburgh invested real draft capital in a receiver. You’d have to go back to 2006, when they traded up to take Santonio Holmes at No. 25 overall, for the last time they used a first-rounder on the position.
Of course, wide receiver isn’t the only need on this roster. The Steelers are still searching for a franchise quarterback, and that could take priority come draft day. But with the way the current receiving corps is constructed, it’s hard to ignore just how much of a difference a player like Lemon could make-especially if the team wants to give its next quarterback a fighting chance.
Bottom line: the Steelers are overdue for a real investment at wide receiver. If Makai Lemon is on the board when they’re on the clock in April, don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh finally pulls the trigger.