By Ray Porter Jr. for Urban Media Today
PITTSBURGH, PA — On a historic night in which the NFL Draft was held in the city for the first time since 1948, the Pittsburgh Steelers added another chapter to their history by selecting Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick.
“He said it too, man—this guy’s a Steeler,” said general manager Omar Khan. “We’re excited. He gives us a lot of options on the offensive line.”
For head coach Mike McCarthy, the selection marked his first draft pick with the franchise—and one that generated immediate enthusiasm within the building.
“I’m very excited about Max,” McCarthy said. “Our offensive line coaches are bouncing off the wall. We don’t have enough big men up front, and he’s a great fit for us. He’s a stud of a young man. As the process went on, he just kept climbing our board. We were really excited he was there at 21.”
Iheanachor (6-foot-6, 321 pounds) brings both production and upside to Pittsburgh’s front line. A three-year starter at Arizona State, he appeared in 32 games with 31 starts, including 30 at right tackle. Over 1,159 career pass-blocking snaps, he allowed just three sacks and earned recognition as a 2025 Second Team All-Big 12 selection.
His final collegiate season was particularly impressive. In 2025, Iheanachor started all 12 games and did not allow a sack across 484 pass-blocking snaps. He surrendered just 14 total pressures (three quarterback hits and 11 hurries), ranking among the most efficient right tackles in the FBS. His 80.6 pass-blocking grade ranked eighth nationally at his position, while his 98.6 pass-block efficiency rating placed him fifth.
“He won through the entire process,” Khan said. “The Senior Bowl, the Combine, our Zoom interviews—it just felt right.”
The selection continues a clear trend for Pittsburgh, marking the third consecutive year the team has used a first-round pick on an offensive tackle, following Broderick Jones in 2023 and Troy Fautanu in 2024.
That investment comes amid some uncertainty along the line, particularly with Jones recovering from a neck injury suffered late last season.
“Sure, it’s a little bit of a concern,” Khan acknowledged. “But you’ve heard me talk about versatility. We have guys who can play multiple positions, and now we have more options.”
Despite his size and rapid rise, Iheanachor remains relatively new to the sport. He did not begin playing football until junior college, spending two seasons at East Los Angeles College before transferring to Arizona State, where he developed into one of the nation’s top tackle prospects.
“He’s only going to get better,” Khan said. “He hasn’t played a lot of football yet, and that’s the exciting part. The future is very bright for him.”
McCarthy echoed that sentiment, noting how quickly Iheanachor stood out during the evaluation process.
“Omar and the personnel staff have been working on this for a year, and we’re a new staff coming in,” McCarthy said. “But over the last couple of months, he’s someone our offensive line coaches and I kept coming back to. We talked a lot about him.”
As the Steelers continue their effort to rebuild and strengthen the offensive line, they are counting on Iheanachor to become a cornerstone piece—both now and for the future.
Notes: Pittsburgh broke the all-time round one attendance record with 320,000 fans tonight, topping the 275,000+ who attended in Detroit in 2024, per the NFL.
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