When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor with their first-round pick in this year's draft, there was a mixed reaction from the fanbase. Part of it was absolutely due to the debacle surrounding the Steelers being jumped by the Philadelphia Eagles to land USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, but it was also due to Iheanachor being the third tackle in four years taken in the first round by general manager Omar Khan.
Obviously, it's not ideal to need to use that many picks on one position, even one that has two starters like offensive tackle. Khan's swing and miss on Broderick Jones in 2023 is what made the Iheanachor pick feel like a necessary one, even if fans may not like it.
He has all the talent required to be one of the best players in the 2026 class. But the Steelers must be wary of making the same mistake that may have doomed Jones' chances of becoming a franchise tackle this time around with Iheanachor: making him swap sides early in his career.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must keep Iheanachor on the right side for at least his first few seasons
Back when Broderick Jones was first drafted, he seemed like he would be the replacement for Dan Moore Jr. either immediately or in the near future. While he did step in for an injured Moore Jr. early in that season, he ultimately was asked to move to right tackle to replace the struggling Chuks Okorafor.
Jones played admirably on the right side in his rookie season, but his best reps were far and away while at LT. When Troy Fautanu was drafted the following year in 2024, they did the same thing they did to Jones and moved him to RT despite being a college LT. He ultimately got hurt early in the season and missed almost the entire season, which forced Jones to play the full season at RT again, opposite of Moore Jr.
Finally, by the time 2025 rolled around, Moore Jr. had moved on in free agency, opening up the LT spot for Jones to step into. By then, however, it seemed as though any chance of him developing into an elite player had faded away. Add in the major neck injury he suffered last season, and his future in Pittsburgh looks bleak.
The Steelers coaching staff cannot afford to play the same back-and-forth games with Iheanachor, especially when he is already a raw player to begin with. Asking the more technically refined and experienced Fautanu to go back to his natural position at LT makes far more sense. Hopefully, the Steelers learned their lesson this time around.
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