The Pittsburgh Steelers may have had a bigger draft board than anyone realized—and their missed targets could haunt them in the AFC North for years.

While much of the post-draft buzz has centered around wide receiver Makai Lemon—who was reportedly on the phone with Pittsburgh before the Philadelphia Eagles jumped ahead to snag him—it turns out Lemon wasn't the only player the Steelers coveted. According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, Penn State guard Vega Ioane was also high on Pittsburgh's wish list.

"One industry source keeping close tabs on the guard market believed divisional rival Pittsburgh had an affinity for Ioane, though it's unclear whether it would have moved up that far," Fowler wrote. That source wasn't wrong—Ioane didn't last long. The Baltimore Ravens scooped him up at No. 14 overall, adding fuel to one of the NFL's fiercest rivalries.

Instead of making a bold move up the board, the Steelers stayed put and selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor—a pick that drew mixed reactions from analysts, especially given his projected draft slot. Now, Ioane heads to Baltimore with expectations of anchoring the interior, while Iheanachor will look to prove he was a steal in Pittsburgh. Their careers will be tracked side-by-side as division foes, making this a storyline Steelers fans will watch closely.

For Pittsburgh, it's a familiar draft narrative: sticking to the board, even if it means living with the "what if."