Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Hines Ward is currently the wide receivers coach at Arizona State, so he knows Steelers’ first-round pick Max Iheanachor very well. Ward raved about Iheanachor’s potential during a recent appearance on The Yinziders podcast with Mike DeFabo and Jenna Harner.
“Max is just a blue-collar guy,” Ward said. “He hasn’t played football for a very long time, but you see the talent. You see the skill set. A lot of Steelers fans may not know how Max is, but I saw it every day. This kid just puts his head down and just grinds. He has that work ethic in him. He has that Steelers mentality in him. He’s not the flashiest. He’s not gonna be a ‘me’ guy. He’s all about the team.”
Iheanachor was born in Nigeria, and his family moved to the United States when he was just 13 years old. He stood out as a basketball and soccer player at King/Drew Magnet High School, but he didn’t begin playing football until he enrolled at East Los Angeles College.
Iheanachor is widely considered a highly athletic but raw prospect. He’s only played football for five years. Ward is not worried about Iheanachor’s development at the next level.
“It’s in his DNA,” Ward said. It’s just a matter of him putting it all together, continuing to work his butt off, and just being one of the guys on the team.”
Iheanachor already knows about the Steelers culture because of Ward.
“Just knowing he’s a Steelers legend. Came in with great energy, taught the receivers group a lot,” Iheanachor said shortly after he was selected by the Steelers at 21st overall this past April. “But just the grit he played with on the field. One of his main things was that he blocked hard. He always preached that for the receivers, and they approved a lot on that. But just the type of man he is, comes up every day, great energy, carries himself well. I definitely got to experience what a Steeler is firsthand in the building before now going into the building with the actual team. But he did a good job at that, for sure.”
Iheanachor feels like he fits the Steelers mold and is ready to hit the ground running.
“Obviously it’s a brotherhood, so we all look out for each other at the end of the day. Because that’s who we’re going to war with,” Iheanachor said. “Just coming in and ready to work. Fit in wherever they want me to be at and get it rolling.”
Iheanachor, who stands at 6-foot-6, 321 pounds, has 33 7-8-inch arms and nine-inch hands. He recorded a 4.91-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which was among the fastest for tackles.
Iheanachor has an impressive blend of size and athletic ability. He’s credited with having elite lateral quickness and body control, making him an ideal fit for an outside-zone scheme. He scored a 9.86 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of a possible 10.00. This...
