For the NFL Draft broadcast, Iheanachor proudly announced himself in Igbo, one of many languages spoken in Nigeria. He didn't know where he'd end up when that night began, but he knows his roots are in West Africa, where football couldn't be farther from his mind.
In his social media profiles, Iheanachor has an emoji with the green-and-white flag representing his homeland. In Igbo, his surname means what everyone seeks.
"I want to be the person from Nigeria, born and raised, who came out here and was able to go back and give people opportunities," he said after his Igbo introduction on national television. "Who wouldn't love an opportunity to come to America and chase greatness. I mean, why not?"
During the pre-draft process, Iheanachor added more ink. Now, right above his ode to Nigeria, he has the NFL shield.
As he takes his early steps as a Steeler, fresh off OTAs and his first minicamp, the two symbols are intertwined. The dream and the origin are one.
"He's primed. He's ready," said fellow Steelers tackle Dylan Cook. "There are a couple of things he can work on, but he's a quick learner and he's eager to learn. He's going to be a really good player."
### To live and thrive in L.A.
On his left bicep, Iheanachor has 424 in bold numbers. That's the area code for where his family moved to in California, from the west coast of Africa to the west coast of the United States, and from palm trees to more palm trees.
But for Iheanachor, it wasn't straight into Compton. His family's first entry point was actually Atlanta, where they lived for several months before moving to southern California. Iheanachor feels that he owes much to the Los Angeles area, though. Had they stayed in Atlanta, perhaps he would've picked up football sooner, but perhaps he never would've connected with the sport at all.
"Honestly, I feel like L.A. shaped me," he said. "Nigeria, that's what I claim, but what I got to see in L.A., it's part of who I am."
And it wasn't always pretty. Iheanachor and his siblings had watched American movies growing up, but that couldn't adequately prepare them for such a day-to-day transition.
But Iheanachor made it clear there's more to South Central Los Angeles than what's portrayed in music and movies. He even admitted to initially being a bit judgmental of his new surroundings.
"There's also stuff you don't see, that people don't talk about. It has its good and bad," Iheanachor said. "I just learned to treat everybody the same way, with respect, and try not to judge just because I come from a different background."