The Case for Max Iheanachor Starting at Tackle in 2026

Pittsburgh spent its first-round pick in 2026 on a player who did not know how to put on

his shoulder pads five years earlier. That fact alone has driven skepticism around Max

Iheanachor since the Steelers selected him 21st overall. But the same rapid rise that

makes him unconventional is also the strongest argument for starting him immediately.

Iheanachor’s physical tools already exceed what most rookie tackles bring into the

league, his tape against top competition shows a player closer to finished than his

football age suggests, and Pittsburgh’s tackle situation is unsettled enough that the best

available option may simply be the most talented one already on the roster.

Photo Credit: ESPN

Elite Physical Tools That Translate Immediately

Start with the measurables, because they are not ordinary. At 6-foot-5 and seven-

eighths, 321 pounds, with arms measuring nearly 34 inches, Iheanachor has

prototypical NFL tackle length and mass. He paired that frame with a 4.91-second 40-

yard dash, 25 reps on the bench press, and a 30.5-inch vertical, numbers that produced

a 9.91 Relative Athletic Score, an elite mark for the position. Scouting reports

consistently describe his movement skills as elite, highlighting an explosive kick slide,

the speed to cut off fast edge rushers, and the change of direction to mirror pass

rushers back inside. Those are not generic rookie-tackle traits. They are the specific

physical tools that allow a young lineman to survive immediately against NFL speed off

the edge, which is historically the hardest adjustment for any rookie tackle.

Pittsburgh’s own evaluators have already pushed back on the idea that Iheanachor was

unusually unrefined. One Behind the Steel Curtain draft analyst noted that anyone who

actually watched his tape, including a strong performance against Texas Tech’s pass-

rush duo, would see a player further along than the public narrative implied, pointing to

a reportedly dominant Senior Bowl showing as evidence his ceiling was already closer

to the surface.

A Player Whose Background Predicts Rapid Growth, Not Limits It

Iheanachor’s story is unusual, but the trajectory inside that story is the more important

detail. Born in Nigeria, he grew up playing soccer before switching to basketball after

moving to the United States, and he didn’t start playing football until 2021, while at East

Los Angeles College. From there, he went from a three-star JUCO recruit to a first-

round NFL draft pick in roughly four years, the kind of accelerated learning curve that

suggests an unusually high football IQ and work ethic rather than a player who simply

lucked into good measurables. A scouting report from Steelers Depot put it directly:

when Iheanachor puts everything together, his footwork is elite, he latches onto blocks,

and pass rushers don’t stand a chance. The same evaluation noted his technique

improved year over year at Arizona State, evidence of a real developmental arc rather

than a player who has plateaued. That growth pattern matters for projecting his rookie season. A player who has compressed years of typical development into a handful of seasons is exactly the kind of prospect who can keep accelerating once working full-time with an NFL coaching staff.

The Job Is Genuinely Open

Unlike a typical rookie tackle stepping into a settled depth chart, Iheanachor is entering

a Pittsburgh offensive line with real uncertainty at both tackle spots. Broderick Jones is

working back from a serious neck injury with no clear timeline, and the team already

declined his fifth-year option, a signal about how the front office views his long-term

standing. Dylan Cook, while productive in a small sample late in 2025, is unproven

across a full season. PFF’s own draft recap framed Iheanachor’s arrival as raising the

talent level up front regardless of how the rest of the pieces sort out, while a Behind the

Steel Curtain draft grade noted plainly that the writing had been on the wall for Jones for

some time before the pick was made. Multiple outlets compared Iheanachor’s traits and

trajectory directly to Jones’ own draft profile, a strong signal the team views him as a

plug-and-play long-term answer rather than a multi-year bench project.

Acknowledging the Real Concerns

The case for starting Iheanachor immediately is strong, but it is not without real risk, and

a fair argument has to say so. Scouting reports consistently flag a lack of power in his

punch, an inconsistent anchor against bull rushes, and hand placement that is too wide

and too late. Bleacher Report’s evaluation projected him as a year-one high-level

backup with starting upside rather than an immediate plug-and-play starter, citing erratic

strike timing and lapses in spatial awareness. The Steelers Depot draft grade also

settled on an early-to-mid Day 2 valuation before he ultimately went in the first round,

suggesting his floor still carries real bust risk if his technique does not continue

developing at the same pace. Those are legitimate concerns, particularly given he played almost exclusively right tackle in college and would likely be asked to handle left tackle duties in Pittsburgh, a tougher assignment against most teams’ best pass rushers. But these are technique flaws, the kind a strong offensive line coach can address through repetition, not physical limitations that cap his ceiling. New Steelers offensive line coach James Campen will have real influence on how quickly that refinement happens.

The Verdict

Max Iheanachor brings rare physical tools, a track record of compressing years of

development into months, and tape that already shows flashes of elite technique

against quality competition. Pittsburgh’s tackle situation is uncertain enough, between

Jones’ injury questions and Cook’s small sample size, that defaulting to seniority over

talent makes little sense. The technical rough edges are real, but they are correctable,

and the traits underneath them are not something every rookie tackle class produces. If

the Steelers believe their own scouting reports, the right move is to develop him in live

action now, not keep him on the bench while older, more uncertain options play out the

string.