Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Few players in the Steelers’ 2026 draft class have a story quite like first-round pick Max Iheanachor.
The offensive tackle’s path to the NFL is anything but ordinary. After moving to the United States at 13 years old, Iheanachor didn’t begin playing football until his freshman year of junior college. Just five years later, he heard his name called in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The rapid rise makes it easy to understand why the Steelers were willing to invest so heavily in his potential.That potential, however, still comes with plenty of room to grow. Although many expect him not to begin the season at left tackle, first-round picks aren’t drafted to sit forever. Whether it’s Week 1 or later in the season, the expectation is that Iheanachor will eventually earn a starting role and become a cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s offensive line.
For now, he’s focused on the little things. One of the biggest adjustments during OTAs has been refining his technique, something he knows will ultimately determine how quickly he’s ready for NFL football.
“I’d definitely say just trying to keep my push foot, keeping my toes in the ground more. Our coach at Arizona State talked about the same thing, but they’re just emphasizing it more here,” Iheanachor said at OTAs.
Those details may seem small, but they’re exactly the type of coaching points that can help bridge the gap between college football and the NFL.
Considering Iheanachor has only been playing organized football for five years, there’s still plenty of technical development ahead. That’s also part of what makes him such an intriguing prospect. While he may be one of the rawer first-round picks in the class, he also possesses one of the highest ceilings.
His combination of rare size, athleticism and steady improvement throughout his football journey is what convinced the Steelers to make him a first-round selection. Now, the focus shifts toward turning that potential into production.
71 • Max Iheanachor, Offensive Tackle, Arizona State
6-foot-5, 364 pounds, 22 years old, 1st pro season
Acquired: The Steelers selected Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, making him the first offensive lineman selected by Pittsburgh since Troy Fautanu in 2024.
Iheanachor’s rise to becoming a first-round pick is about as unconventional as it gets. After moving to the United States from Nigeria at 13 years old, he never played a snap of high school football. Instead, he enrolled at East Los Angeles Community College, where he first learned the game after originally standing out as a basketball player. He spent two seasons (2021-22) at ELAC, quickly developing into one of the top junior college offensive tackle prospects in the country and earning a four-star JUCO rating.
That development earned him a transfer to Arizona State, where he spent the next three seasons (2023-25). Iheanachor saw action in six games with five starts during his first year in Tempe before...
