Steelers, new coach Mike McCarthy select offensive tackle Max Iheanachor 21st in NFL draft

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers invested another high-round draft pick along the offensive line.

The Steelers selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in front of their hometown crowd with the No. 21 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

“You can’t have enough big men up front,” new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s a great fit for us and a stud of a young man. I think it’s an excellent pick for us and he’ll be a great addition to our offensive line.”

The Steelers nearly selected USC receiver Makai Lemon, but the Philadelphia Eagles moved up to the 20th pick in a trade with Dallas and selected the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top wideout.

“Pittsburgh called me and I thought they were going to draft me,” Lemon said. “And then the Eagles called at the same time. I guess it was meant to be.”

General manager Omar Khan said the Steelers were influenced by the Eagles’ decision to trade, but said that he was comfortable with adding Iheanachor to the mix.

“The way it shook out brought us to this position,” Khan said. “I think all those things that happened around us affect the conversation. It was the right pick for us.”

This is the third time in four years Pittsburgh drafted an offensive tackle in the first round.

The Steelers’ offensive line could use some reinforcements after veteran guard Isaac Seumalo left in free agency and as left tackle Broderick Jones – their first-round pick in 2023 – recovers from a neck injury that forced him to miss the last seven games of 2025.

There’s no timetable on when Jones might be ready, though he was with his teammates this week as part of the “medical group” when the Steelers held informal workouts.

“There’s a little bit of a concern,” Khan said of Jones’ injury. “We have guys on the offensive line that can play different positions. We have options.”

McCarthy didn’t rule out moving Troy Fautanu to left tackle. Fautanu, the Steelers’ 2024 first-round pick, played 17 games at right tackle last season.

“Those are discussions that will occur after the draft,” McCarthy said. “Position flexibility is bigger than ever in the NFL. To add Max to this group … I can’t tell you how excited I am with the pick.”

The 6-foot-5, 321-pound Iheanachor, started 31 games at Arizona State and was a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection at right tackle. He was born in Nigeria, moved to the United States when he was 13 and played basketball and soccer before starting football in junior college.

Super Bowl 40 MVP Hines Ward was the wide receiver coach at Arizona State and told Khan that Iheanachor was a “true Steeler.”

“He’s a Steeler legend,” Iheanachor said of Ward. “I definitely got to experience what a Steeler is first-hand in the building and now I’m going into the building with the actual team.”

Iheanachor didn’t take a top-30 visit to the Steelers. McCarthy said Iheanachor started to stand out to them in February after the Senior Bowl.

“He’s only going to get better and better,” Khan said. “He’s such a talented football player. He hasn’t played a lot of football, but I’m excited what the future holds for him with us.”

An NFL-announced record crowd of 320,000 crammed outside Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium for the NFL’s marquee offseason event. They twirled yellow Terrible Towels while “Renegade” by Styx played to welcome Iheanachor, the newest member of the team.

It was the first draft pick for McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, who was hired to replace Mike Tomlin in January. Tomlin, who led the Steelers to a Super Bowl title in 2008, stepped down after 19 seasons as coach.

Pittsburgh won the AFC North last season, but the Steelers were routed 30-6 by the Houston Texans in the wild-card round, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.

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