The Pittsburgh Steelers were forced to pivot in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. They planned on taking Makai Lemon, but that fell through when the Philadelphia Eagles traded in front of them and picked the USC wide receiver. As a result, they took offensive lineman Max Iheanachor instead. While the Steelers have spent several high draft picks in recent years on linemen, they could still use help up front. Iheanachor is a talented player, but he’s also inexperienced, something that gives former Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton pause.
“My only deal is, with a first-round pick, and I don’t watch film, but I know that football being played for just five years, I know that’s a project,” Hampton said recently on the Deebo and Joe podcast. “With me, I like when my first-round pick, I want that guy to be a guy.
“He can definitely develop into a guy, no doubt about it. He has all the intangibles. But I think it’s gonna be important to see how he develops and see how he’s gonna be.”
Iheanachor started playing football in 2021 at East Los Angeles College, a JUCO school. That’s not usual, especially for first-round picks.
However, Iheanachor isn’t as inexperienced as his profile would suggest. He played in 32 games at Arizona State, with 31 starts. Compare that to Broderick Jones, who only started 19 games in his college career. The Steelers traded up to select Jones in the first round in 2023, too.
Iheanachor has a lot that he has to work on, and some of that is because he’s a raw player. For example, he was called for 16 penalties at Arizona State, including eight in 2025. Part of that can likely be attributed to him still getting used to the game.
It remains to be seen if Iheanachor will start right away with the Steelers having other options at offensive tackle. Jones is dealing with an injury, and he’s a free agent next year, but maybe he’ll be ready to play by Week 1. Also, Dylan Cook played well to end last season. If he picks up where he left off, then Iheanachor could be allowed to sit and develop.
That might be the best thing for the young lineman, too. It would be nice if he could make an instant impact. However, thrusting him into the starting lineup if he’s not ready doesn’t sound wise. If he ends up developing into a dependable starting tackle, then any potential slow start to his career won’t be as much of an issue.
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