Welcome to the Steelers Max Iheanachor

They could've had Freeling if they even moved up 2 spots. Big drop off at OT after him.

 

He looks like he has better footwork than Broderick, so that is promising.

 

Mike McCarthy's first draft pick as Steelers HC.

 

If he was so experienced and fundamentally sound then why was he drafted 63rd overall? The only reason I used him as a comparison was that he was considered a good athlete for a really big guy and that he had “upside” to be a starter in the league. He turned out pretty solid, even if he wasn’t a stud. You were pretty specific with “early round lineman” as we haven’t taken a ton and none that could be considered projects. We’ve had some success with guys that were considered “projects” in the past. Guys like TJ Watt and Bud Dupree were high ceiling guys that were more projects. Jones was the same way but he didnt really improve his inconsistencies.

 

From the tour of the internet I took tonight, there’s two reactions among draft “knowers”. The negative ones are all guys who are all wrapped up in their respective rankings being correct. “I had him as #45 on my big board and my board is both the biggest and the best so I hate this pick!”.

The positive ones are all guys who just love the work and don’t care if you think they’re right or not. These guys are all saying “I had him like in the 30’s but dang he’s got a chance to be a heckuva player. Like the pick”.

Steelers have 11 more picks. It’s gonna be okay.

 

Its hard to really point true value because the value of players changes based off who is on the board still. There was a run on quality OL (all the other viable tackles). Could the Steelers have traded down a small handful of spots and still gotten him? Maybe. But they didn’t want to risk leaving the only viable tackle prospect left available for someone else to take. So he became more valuable in a vacuum being the last quality OT prospect for a while.

I don’t get the doom and gloom over the pick. It seems reasonable to assume that we really liked Lemon and were going to draft him if he got to 21. Once he got picked up, then we likely moved onto Ihenachor. We had an offer, but obviously the return wasn’t high enough to risk losing a guy we wanted (or Ihenachor was the only guy left that we really liked).

I’m hoping use some of our capital to move around in the second round. Still good players on the board. If we can stack a few good players tomorrow, then we should be good

 

I think it partially has to do with team need…what the heck is going with the WR room? Khan hasn’t really filled the void, because we need to be 4-deep at WR, and we only have 2 starters as of now. There are more positions of higher need as well.

LG absolutely needs to be addressed, but with this pick it looks like the tackles will be shaken up too…it just creates more questions than answers. It will take a while for it to all come together now. I’m sure Rodgers is thinking, “oh, great a rookie tackle to protect me.”

I was perfectly fine letting Cook and Jones battle it out in camp.

3 first round tackles is a heavy investment for a team with a lot of holes on the roster. Two of them considered “projects” no less.

 

Obviously they think Jones is done, or they wouldn't have drafted Iheanachor.

 

Solid pick.

 

As it has been discussed, im thinking they move Fautanu to LT, Iheanachor starts at RT, and maybe they think they could move Broderick Jones in to play LG considering his struggles. LG there is less space and maybe he does well there. He would be a great pulling guard with how nimble he is.

As far as the Iheanachor pick is concerned, I like the upside and his RAS score is 9.86 out of 10...which ranks him 24 out of 1645 OT from 1987 to 2026 so he is pretty athletic. However, I feel like with 12 picks, Khan should have been looking to move up to go after a player he wanted...ie Vega Ioane/Lemon/etc. All these other teams are being proactive and Khan just sitting on his hands. Yes it takes two to tangle but im sure he could have made something happen. Im hoping to see him package some picks to move up into the 2nd round for better talent if possible on day 2.

 

I just read that the 49ers were going to take him at 27, which is why they traded down afterwards. Maybe a smart pick after all.

 

Now the other shoe drops. Teams that checked his medical history believe the Max is a lot older that he is claiming. We may have just drafted one of the oldest rookies of all time. Thanks KHAN, for not brining MAX in and having your medical staff get a look at him in person.


AI
As of April 2026, there is discussion regarding the age of Max Iheanachor, an offensive tackle prospect out of Arizona State for the 2026 NFL Draft. Reports suggest his age may be considered "questionable" or a risk factor by some NFL teams, often comparing his situation to that of former Lions player Ziggy Ansah due to his Nigerian background and later start to football.


NFL Draft Medical Preview: Max Iheanachor, OT Arizona State
Iheanachor moved from Nigeria at age 13. He has a shoulder surgery history, missed about half a season in 2023 with multiple injuries, and is suspected to be of older age. All these issues will need further investigation by medical.

The potential age uncertainty is reminiscent of former Lions 1st-rounder Ziggy Ansah, who sharply declined after his 5th-year in the NFL. The age risk becomes more palatable after the 1st round.