Jerome Bettis’ Pre-Draft Comments Hit Different After Steelers’ Polarizing First-Round Pick

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, and many Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been left feeling frustrated. Offensive tackle Max Iheanachor from Arizona State was selected with the 21st overall pick, but reports from Thursday night indicate that he was not the Steelers' first option. 

Hundreds of thousands of fans gathered outside of Acrisure Stadium to witness the annual event that was being hosted in the Steel City for the first time ever. With the majority of the crowd being Steelers fans, the anticipation and excitement were through the roof. All that came to a screeching halt when the hometown team was on the clock.

With questions regarding the health of Broderick Jones and the inexperience of an undrafted Dylan Cook, grabbing some help at the tackle position was always under consideration for Pittsburgh. Iheanachor had a standout RAS (Relative Athletic Score), but many pundits still had him ranked outside of the draft's top-32 prospects. This has left many speculating whether or not the Steelers "reached" in the first round, or if they did what they had to do to shore up their offensive line.

Hall of Fame running back and Steelers fan favorite Jerome Bettis shared his take on the team's first-round selection prior to Thursday with SteelerNation.com's very own Brandon J. Wallace. Bettis foreshadowed the Steelers addressing the trenches, and now emotions are hot in the Steel City.

"I think one, it’s the 'player' that’s available. And obviously the position of need. And I think the first thing, you got to look at is, offensive/defensive line," Bettis explained. "You’ve got an offensive lineman there that you didn’t think was going to be there, I would say, you’ve got to pull the trigger there."

Wide receiver, offensive guard, and defensive back were the other three widely popular positions many fans thought the team would target in Round 1, which may explain the reported phone call with USC standout Makai Lemon. Bettis further detailed why every organization has to have an immediate backup plan in case the player they initially want slips through their fingers.

"A lot of times, the guy that you really, really love, he’s not there anymore. So then, you’ve got to kind of go to Plan B, and Plan C. So, I think it depends on the best available, the guy who’s there, who can help benefit the team the most," said Bettis.

At just 22 years old, Iheanachor stands at 6'6", 330 pounds, and was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2025. He didn't allow a single sack in his senior year at ASU, and he appeared in 32 career games, starting 31 of them. Bettis may not have predicted Iheanachor by name, but he was spot on about the position Pittsburgh would target first.

The Steelers will look to continue filling out their roster Friday and Saturday, as they still have 11 picks left (barring any trades). Bettis also confirmed his faith in new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, and how he feels about the team's offense moving forward after a hopefully successful finish to the draft.

"I think the evolution of the game has to change, so the Steelers have to evolve, and I think Mike McCarthy is going to be able to do that," Bettis said. "His offense was prolific in Dallas. They were able to score points and move the football. So, I don’t see that being the problem. I think right now, they have a personnel issue to get to the offense that they really want to have. Right now, I don’t think personally, they have the offense in terms of personnel to do the things they really want to do. They have to get there first. I think this draft is the first part of them getting there."

Steelers Still Have Chances To Please Fans

With so much draft capital still on the table for Pittsburgh to play with, General Manager Omar Khan has an opportunity to change the mood within the fan base. The team has several Day 2 picks and this is where Khan can begin to work his normally aggressive magic.

What do you think of Bettis' take on what the Steelers would do in the first round? Who are you hoping the Steelers grab next? Follow @BWall on X for more news. 

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