Fans underwhelmed by Steelers first round pick Max Iheanachor

As the Pittsburgh Steelers were officially on the clock, the crowd outside the glamorous stage looked up in anticipation. Inside the stadium, fans rallied in the seats and gathered on the field. And across the world on television sets, an anxious fan base awaited the newest member of their team. 

With the 21st pick in the draft, the Steelers selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State. 

The 6-foot-5, 321-pound tackle was the sixth-ranked tackle prospect in this year’s class. A former junior college athlete, Iheanachor manned the offensive line for East Los Angeles College for two years before transferring to Arizona State as a junior. 

Iheanachor played 14 games for the Sun Devils in 2024 and 12 games this past season, including an appearance in the Sun Bowl. He did not allow a sack in his senior year.

For an eager fan base who watched the draft take place in their own backyard, Steelers fans had mixed reactions to the selection of Iheanachor.

Those who were disappointed in the pick based their frustrations largely on who the Steelers didn’t pick, as opposed to who they did.

“I am very upset that Makai Lemon wasn’t there for us at 21,” Steelers fan Jared Phillips said. 

Indeed, the USC standout wide receiver looked like he was within Pittsburgh’s grasp. As the board turned over to pick 20, the All-American was still there. 

But at the last minute, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to swing a trade with the Dallas Cowboys to move up, acquiring pick 20 and a seventh next year in exchange for the 23rd pick, and a pair of fourths two days from now. Per Ian Rappoport, the Steelers were on the phone with Lemon with pick 20 in progress.

In the wake of the Eagles snagging Lemon, the Steelers pivoted to the trenches, where they selected a lineman for the fourth year in a row. In the four years Omar Khan has run the draft, each first-round pick was used on a lineman. 

“I understand,” Philips said. “You’ve got to have a line to build the team.”

He shrugged. 

“It’s something. We made a pick,” Phillips said. 

Even if the Steelers did fill a potential position of need — one brought on by injury and inconsistency concerns regarding Broderick Jones, the 14th overall pick from 2023 — the pick didn’t excite a decent amount of fans. 

“When you’re hungry, you have to eat,” Steelers fan Scott Lanson said. “And I feel like we didn’t eat, and now we’re, like, very hungry.” 

Lanson said he was unfamiliar with Iheanachor. “I don’t know the guy. Don’t know what position he plays. Don’t know what school he went to. Don’t like what we picked.”

The disappointment stretched all the way across the pond. 

Although he travels to the United States frequently for Steelers games in the New England area and matchups against the Baltimore Ravens, James Wreford, a Steelers fan who traveled all the way from England to attend the NFL Draft, said he felt “disappointed” with the Steelers’ first-round selection.

“I was hoping for a wide receiver,” Wreford said. “But if Broderick Jones is not going to come back, need one — needed offensive line. Maybe guard rather than tackle, but see what happens.”

Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers’ starting quarterback last season, has yet to make his decision to return. If he does, the former Super Bowl champion will enter the 2026-27 season at 42 years old, meaning he’ll likely need ample time in the pocket to throw to recent wide receiver additions in DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr.

“If they got a strong line, maybe they can protect [Rodgers],” Wreford said.

Katie Nagy, a South Hills native and Steelers fan, was hoping the Steelers didn’t select another quarterback they “weren’t going to play.”

“Our offense has been a– the past couple of years,” Nagy said. “Our defense has been good. One of the biggest things is that we don’t have a good O-line to protect our quarterback. In a second in the pocket, you’re sacked, and so, we got a good tackle who is someone [who] can protect our quarterback.”

The hopes for Steelers’ fans remain the same as they have for over a decade — get a playoff victory.

“Anything to get us past the first round of the playoffs,” Nagy said. “If [offensive lineman] is what we need, I’ll take it. Knowing this team, they would’ve selected a defense pick and I wouldn’t have been shocked. I’m glad they took a logical route.”