Steelers Quickly Fell In Love With Eventual First-Round Pick Max Iheanachor After 1 Key Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially shocked their fans by drafting offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. There were numerous players that were linked to them, and he was certainly not one of them. However, what's done is done, and the coaching staff will now focus on helping him reach his supposed sky-high ceiling while playing on either side of the offensive line. The optics of the whole ordeal aren't great, but if he can develop into an elite blocker, the complaints will quickly die down. 

After the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft concluded, insider Bob Labriola revealed exactly when Iheanachor popped up on Pittsburgh's radar and what made it fall in love with him in the first place.

"When Arizona State faced Texas Tech last Oct. 18, the Steelers were impressed with how Iheanachor handled Edge David Bailey, the second overall pick of this draft, and then another highlight of his resume was how well he handled himself during Senior Bowl practices and in the game," Labriola said. 

At the time of that game, the Texas Tech Red Raiders were ranked seventh overall in the nation, while the Arizona State Sun Devils were unranked. The Red Raiders were expected to just walk in and take an easy win, but Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 28 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown to help Arizona State pull off the upset win at home and improve to 5-2 on the season. 

That doesn't happen with Iheanachor slowing down one of the best edge rushers in the country that year. David Bailey did have two sacks in the game, so he wasn't completely shut down. However, he did not completely wreck the contest against the inexperienced tackle like many expected. Despite the multi-sack game, the Steelers were still impressed with what they saw in that contest from the game tape.

During the 2026 Senior Bowl, the trenches were what really stood out throughout the somewhat underwhelming game, and that included Iheanachor. The talent is clearly there for him, and inexperience is what made him project to be selected much later in the first round. He does need to be more technically sound, but if he can develop that properly, he could be an absolute monster on the offensive line.

All reports now say that the Steelers loved him throughout the draft process. They clearly did a great job of smoke-screening, as this pick seemingly came out of nowhere. Expectations were that, once Makai Lemon was stolen from them, they would pivot to another receiver or go for safety Dillon Thieneman due to the top offensive linemen already being taken. That was clearly not the case. 

Steelers Took A Very Similar Risk Recently

In Omar Khan's first NFL draft as general manager, he selected a high-risk high-reward offensive tackle project. Broderick Jones had limited experience as a starter, but his physical makeup was too much to pass on. It looked like he finally took a few steps forward in 2025, but a neck injury shut that down. If it's as bad as reports claim it is, the project may officially be a total bust. 

However, the Steelers now have a new coaching staff, which includes an offensive line coach that is way more respected than the one they previously had. James Campen has a history of taking raw prospects and turning them into quality blockers. At the end of the day, upside usually trumps the safe pick, and Khan wanted to secure a potentially elite lineman for his team.

What do you think about when and how the Steelers fell in love with Iheanachor? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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