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Pittsburgh Steelers selects Max Iheanachor in first round of 2026 NFL Draft

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax04/24/26BarkleyTruax

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected former Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. In an offensive tackle-rich draft, Iheanachor is now off the board.

Iheanachor spent three seasons with the Sun Devils after transferring from East Los Angeles College as a top JUCO recruit. Iheanachor went on to play 32 games for Arizona State during his college career, including 31 starts.

This past season, Iheanachor played 860 total offensive snaps, including 484 passing plays. Iheanachor allowed 14 pressures and three quarterback hits, but didn’t allow a sack this past season during 12 starts at right tackle. He earned Second-team All-Big 12 Conference honors as a result.

The 6-foot-5, 321-pound offensive tackle didn’t play football in his early years. Born in Nigeria, he moved to Compton, CA when he was 13 and played soccer growing up.

Before moving to FBS, Iheanachor was the No. 23 JUCO recruit from the 2023 class, per the Rivals Industry Rankings. That’s a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Max Iheanachor

Now that he’s been drafted, his new fanbase may want to know what to expect out of their newest offensive tackle. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided in-depth analysis on the former Sun Devils standout.

“An ascending, traits-heavy tackle prospect, Iheanachor is a former high school hooper and late-comer to football. He has good length and excellent lean mass. His hands and footwork need refinement, but his range and play strength should translate to any run scheme. There is work to do with pass-protection technique, but strong performances against Texas Tech’s rush duo last season and at the Senior Bowl suggest Iheanachor might be more game-ready than I previously anticipated. In a year light on high-end tackles, Iheanachor’s measurables, athleticism and upside could push him up the board.”