In the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Max Iheanachor, an offensive tackle, at No. 21 overall.
They were initially trying to draft Makai Lemon, but the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in with a trade one spot ahead of them for Lemon. Iheanachor isn't a bad backup plan, as he was one of the top offensive tackles in the draft class.
However, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic has concerns, noting that it's "hardly ideal" that the Steelers' rookie first-round tackle is a backup to start his career after a string of injuries this summer.
"Iheanachor went down with a neck/shoulder injury in early August and missed multiple weeks of contact drills, putting him in a catch-up position right away," Baumgardner writes.
"He was more of a developmental prospect anyway, so starting this year as a backup wouldn't be the worst thing, but it's hardly ideal."
Iheanachor is the backup offensive tackle to Dylan Cook at right tackle, with Tory Fautanu locking down the left tackle spot.
Spending a first-round pick on Iheanachor, just to not see him start right away, is a little bit of a disappointment. It's not a real problem for the Steelers, as Iheanachor was a developmental draft prospect, but, as Baumgardner put it, this is "hardly ideal."
It would've been a great sign had Iheanachor earned the starting right tackle spot right away, like the Steelers hope he will eventually wind up starting down the road.
But, thanks to his injury knocking him out for a chunk of August, and Iheanachor still needing some development to play at a high level in the NFL, this current situation is a little bit worrying.
Steelers fans should not panic, though, as this slower development should not come as a surprise. There was always a chance that Iheanachor wouldn't start right away.
While there wasn't a ton of tape, he did play fairly well during his final preseason game this summer. It was a step in the right direction, even if it was too late to wind up earning him the starting right tackle job.
The only issue, and what makes his development "hardly ideal," is that he's not going to see much playing time this year, barring injury or Cook struggling to an extreme degree.
He's a work in progress, and Steelers fans should still be excited to see the 6-foot-6, 321-pound offensive tackle going forward.
