There is a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers decision to draft Arizona State offensive lineman Max Iheanachor at pick 21. Not only is he the third tackle they have drafted since general manager Omar Khan took over in 2023, but standout USC wide receiver Makai Lemon went just one pick ahead of them after the Philadelphia Eagles jumped them.
Even with all of that going against the pick, there is no doubt that Iheanachor brings a ton of upside to an already talented and young offensive line. In fact, NFL draft and Steelers expert Jon Ledyard seems to think that fans should be excited about the pick.
#Steelers fan subscribers, I wrote about Max Iheanachor and why I'm so high on his upside. He has the tools needed and moves like the top guys do.
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) April 24, 2026
Gotta keep developing him, like most of the top tackles in the league were at one point!https://t.co/sYxLPdKusU pic.twitter.com/9s7Ep7GMpn
Jon Ledyard believes Pittsburgh Steelers have a true difference-maker in Max Iheanachor
It's hard to argue with the upside case that Ledyard mentions with Iheanachor. He has an ideal frame at nearly 6'6" and 321 pounds, and his movement skills are rare for any tackle, especially one at his size. He is much newer to football than the majority of draft prospects, not having played it growing up.
He grew up in Nigeria, far away from where the sport he is about to be paid millions of dollars to play. He started his football career at East Los Angeles College against guys with much more experience, and just a few years later, he is now an NFL tackle.
While that lack of experience could be scary for fans to think about, especially with how Broderick Jones' development (or lack thereof) played out in Pittsburgh, Iheanachor is an even more athletic player with arguably better tape than what Jones put up at Georgia.
He even started more games and played over 700 more snaps in college than Jones did, so his lack of experience isn't as big an issue as fans might think. He needs significant development if he wants to be more than a solid starter, but his athleticism and strength will allow him to earn reps right away while he finishes learning the position.
If Ledyard is right about what Iheanachor can be, and he hits his ceiling, fans could end up regretting their initial reaction to the pick.
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