The Pittsburgh Steelers have now completed selecting their 2026 NFL Draft class. Criticisms and critiques have been coming in all around the NFL world for all 32 franchises, and Pittsburgh is no different. On Monday, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joined the 102.5 FM DVE Morning Show to discuss the team's first-round selection of Max Iheanachor. Following what appeared to be a close miss on wide receiver Makai Lemon, as the Philadelphia Eagles selected him just a pick prior, it appears the organization saw a trend in the draft.
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Steelers' Max Iheanachor during his media session at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.
That trend was the pattern of offensive linemen being selected, leading them to Iheanachor. Entering the 2026 offseason, one position of need stood out, as offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo left the Steel City in free agency and signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Then they received news that Broderick Jones may not be ready for the 2026 season, opening up a need for the position in the draft. While Iheanachor may not have been their first target in mind, Dulac discussed that the position was wearing thin in round one.
"They had looked at the run on offensive tackles," Dulac explained. "There were five that went before the Steelers. So when they saw that run on tackles, and when [Monroe] Freeling went, 'You know what? We got to take a tackle.' So that's why they pivoted."
While they seemingly wanted Lemon to help out their wide receiver room, they did receive praise following their second-round selection, taking wide receiver Germie Bernard to complement that unit on offense. In fact, Bernard was labeled a perfect fit in the Black and Gold on Saturday morning following that selection Friday night. Iheanachor will now join an offensive line that is rather young, but did start to gel last season despite the season-ending injury to Jones.
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Steelers' Art Rooney II shakes hands with 2026 first-round pick Max Iheanachor.
The Nigerian-born Iheanachor was a late bloomer to the football world, having not started his playing days until 2021. His family moved to the Los Angeles area when he was 13 years old, and in 2021, he started playing football in that area at a junior college. He then showed up at Arizona State University in 2023, where he played three seasons and appeared in 32 games in that time.
Steelers' Big Offensive Line Fit For Iheanachor
The organization also added offensive lineman Gennings Dunker in the third round at pick number 96 overall. While they would not like to see their top pick be unproductive at the NFL level, the depth they added with him and Dunker during the draft should ease the pressure on them to have an immediate impact. These picks come following an offseason in which Omar Khan received a ton of praise for the work done via free agency. During free agency, Khan also added Brock Hoffman.
Given the loss of Seumalo to Arizona and the unknown status on Jones, the organization made sure to get some guys that can come in and add depth to the offensive line. They added so much in fact, that Spencer Anderson may not see as much playing time in 2026 as he was originally believed to see. Dunker stands at 6-foot-5 and over 300 pounds. Iheanachor adds even more size, at 6-foot-6 and over 320 pounds himself.
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Steelers' offensive lineman Gennings Dunker during his time in Iowa.
While Iheanachor may not have been the top choice in mind for Pittsburgh on night one of the draft, he has plenty of size to work with at the offensive line position and can definitely be developed in the NFL. For a unit that had to deal with some adversity last year as Dylan Cook stepped in for Jones while he was injured, and Seumalo battled through some nagging injuries, these two additions via the draft create a monstrous presence up front offensively in 2026. Now the unit appears to be well-rounded and ready to roll for the 2026 season in the Steel City.
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