Steelers' Pre-Draft Call to Makai Lemon Violates NFL Rules, Could Face League Scrutiny

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have broken NFL rules by contacting USC wide receiver Makai Lemon before their scheduled draft selection, according to league regulations and a former executive.

On Thursday night, the Steelers placed a call to Lemon while the team was not on the clock during the NFL Draft. The interaction was later televised by NFL Network, showing Lemon speaking with a Steelers representative.

NFL Rules on Pre-Draft Player Contact

Jake Rosenberg, a former long-time executive with the Philadelphia Eagles who left the organization two years ago, highlighted the relevant rule on Twitter:

"Clubs that are not 'on the clock' may have discussions with the representative of one or more draft-eligible players not yet selected (or discussion with the players themselves) regarding the player’s interest in playing in the League, playing with a particular club or type of club, the player’s health, or other such non-financial matters, so long as these discussions do not interfere with discussions between a player and the club that is 'on the clock.'"

A source affiliated with a team not involved in the situation confirmed to ProFootballTalk (PFT) that this interpretation of the rule is accurate.

Potential League Review and Consequences

The televised video of Lemon’s call with the Steelers has drawn attention to the incident, raising questions about whether the league will take action. However, given the condensed first round (eight minutes per pick), procedural complications are expected, and the league may view the embarrassment as sufficient punishment.

Despite the potential rule violation, the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately selected Lemon with the 15th overall pick in the first round, meaning the Steelers’ premature contact did not impact the outcome.