Former Colorado wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers today, and that name still brings up some bittersweet memories.
It’s been a winding road for Lemonious-Craig. From big plays in black and gold, to a surprise transfer after the 2023 spring game that left us scratching our heads, he’s finally landed an NFL opportunity.
And with the Steelers, who are known for finding diamonds in the rough—especially at wide receiver.
Let’s rewind for a second. Remember the 2023 spring game?
Folsom Field was electric. Coach Prime’s debut. Sold-out crowd. And who stole the show? Montana Lemonious-Craig. Six catches. 169 yards. A 98-yard touchdown bomb from Shedeur Sanders that felt like the first “we coming” moment for the Buffs. The very next day, he entered the transfer portal.
That decision was polarizing. It caught even insiders off guard. The chemistry was there. The production was there. Why leave?
“I love Colorado,” Lemonious-Craig later told The Denver Post after returning to Boulder with Arizona. “This was the place where I got an opportunity to play collegiate football. But I thought it was the right decision for me to move on.”
Arizona never quite clicked the same way
At Arizona, the numbers dipped. Just 296 yards and three touchdowns in 2023, and less than 200 receiving yards in 2024. There were flashes, but nothing close to what we saw in Boulder.
Still, when the Wildcats came back to Folsom in '23, Lemonious-Craig reminded Buffs fans exactly what he could do—five catches, 67 yards, and a crucial third-down grab that helped seal Arizona’s win.
That was the last time he played under the Flatirons. And now? He’s got a shot to carve out a real NFL role in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers WR room is talented—but wide open
Lemonious-Craig joins a WR group that includes Pro Bowler DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson (a 2024 third-round pick from Michigan), and veterans like Robert Woods and Calvin Austin III. It’s a deep group, but not locked in beyond Metcalf. And with Wilson still adjusting to NFL speed and Austin still proving he can stay healthy, there’s opportunity for a hungry, athletic, 6-foot-2 wideout to make noise in camp.
We also know that Mike Tomlin can develop receivers. Antonio Brown. Emmanuel Sanders. JuJu Smith-Schuster. Diontae Johnson. The Steelers thrive on late-round and undrafted guys. If there’s a franchise where Lemonious-Craig can tap into that Spring Game version of himself, it’s in the Steel City.
What Buffs fans loved about Montana Lemonious-Craig
Lemonious-Craig was clutch. And when the offense was sputtering in those horrendous 2021 and 2022 seasons, he was one of the few guys who kept showing up. His 119-yard, game-winning performance against Cal in 2022 might’ve been the lone bright spot of that entire season.
He didn’t hear his name called on draft night this year. He didn’t even get a UDFA deal right away. But he grinded through rookie minicamp in Pittsburgh, impressed the staff, and earned a contract.
That says something.
In a year where Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, Jimmy Horn Jr., and LaJohntay Wester were all making headlines, it’s nice to see even players who transferred out—quietly, methodically find a way onto an NFL roster too.
Will he make the 53-man roster? That depends on what he does this summer. But don’t count him out. We’ve seen what he can do.
Pittsburgh might’ve just found a sleeper.
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