Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan entered the 2026 NFL Draft riding the momentum of three widely praised classes and a reputation as one of the league’s sharpest evaluators. This time, though, instead of the usual approval, the draft drew criticism. And while the Makai Lemon situation became the headline issue, it wasn’t the only concern. A series of other decisions added to the skepticism, to the point where even those who typically back Khan found themselves taking a step back and questioning his approach.

“I love Omar Khan but outside of Germie Bernard this draft has been an absolute disaster,” the former Steelers defensive tackle, Breiden Fehoko, expressed his frustration via a social media post.

Critics scrutinized several decisions in Khan’s draft approach this year. The choice not to trade up for Lemon sits right at the top. At the same time, Fehoko pointed to a broader concern, that the Steelers seem to be prioritizing offensive tackles over adding playmakers.

For context, across his last four drafts, Khan has taken an offensive tackle in the first round three times. This year followed the same pattern with the selection of Max Iheanachor.

“You see the wide receiver room if one of the top 3 guys gets hurt? You see the tight end room if Pat (Freiermuth) or Darnell (Washington) get hurt? And we out here stacking up with 11 offensive lineman,” Fehoko wrote.

Of course, it’s too early to project how the Steelers’ 2026 draft class will turn out, especially given Khan’s track record over the past few years. Still, the approach this time does raise questions.

The contrast becomes clearer when you look back at his earlier drafts. In 2023, Pittsburgh made seven selections. And four of them were considered value picks based on the NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board.

Khan even moved up from No. 17 to No. 14 to draft offensive tackle Broderick Jones. And the move paid off. Jones started 20 games across his first two seasons and posted a 58.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. He allowed just 10 sacks in that span. Yahoo Sports later graded that class an “A+”, which called it the best draft in the NFL, highlighting Jones, Joey Porter Jr., and Keanu Benton.

In 2024, the trend largely continued. Five of the seven picks aligned with a positive consensus value. Even with Troy Fautanu landing on IR in Week 2 and Roman Wilson missing the season due to an ankle injury, Khan still landed center Zach Frazier at No. 51. Frazier went on to earn PFWA All-Rookie Team honors and was named the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2024.

The 2025 draft was more of a mixed bag. Even then, the Steelers still leaned positive in terms of value, with Kaleb Johnson, Jack Sawyer, and Will Howard all selected later than where they were projected.

Bringing the focus back to this year’s class, Fehoko is on board with only one pick: Germie Bernard, who entered the draft after his best collegiate season at Alabama. He posted 64 receptions for 862 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior before the Steelers selected him 47th overall in the second round.

However, instead of working the board to extract value like in previous years, the Steelers consistently reached. Seven of their 10 selections came after their consensus value. As a result, the class ranked 16th in overall value according to Warren Sharp’s analysis.

When you look at it through that lens, Fehoko’s reaction becomes easier to understand. The frustration is not about Khan being a poor general manager. It comes from the standard he had already set. And those expectations already took a hit early, starting in the first round when the move to go up and get Lemon never came.

Omar Khan called out for not trading up to select Makai Lemon

“Why is Philadelphia calling me?” Makai Lemon reportedly asked Omar Khan while he was on a call with the GM. That moment came as the Steelers had made their intention clear to take Lemon with the 21st overall pick. The problem was that Philadelphia moved first.

Holding the No. 23 pick, the Eagles struck a deal with division rival Dallas Cowboys and jumped to No. 20, taking the receiver one spot before Pittsburgh could. And the criticism here is not simply about passing on a receiver and going with a tackle again.

The bigger issue is what didn’t follow. Despite having the draft capital, 12 total picks, the Steelers never made a move up. Even after the Eagles landed Lemon, there was no effort to trade back into the first round and address the position. Steelers insider Gerry Dulac pointed to that sequence as a key misstep during an appearance on the DVE Morning Show.

“To me, after the Steelers took Max Iheanachor and didn’t get the wide receiver, they had a great opportunity to get back into the first round,” Dulac said. “Especially when you just saw the New York Jets do that. The Jets gave up a seventh to get back into the first round.

“The Steelers had all that capital to do that. We will see, though, that is why Germie Bernard is going to be a key here. I mean, if he turns out to be really good, then OK, none of that seems so bad, but they could have jumped back into the first round and taken Omar Cooper, who they really liked and who the Jets took.”

The Steelers did land a receiver in the second round. But the criticism centers on the missed opportunities, something Khan had largely avoided in the previous three drafts. That said, one draft pick will not define their entire 2026 season. But whether this whole approach ends up shaping how that season plays out is something only time will answer.