3 things the Steelers choice of Max Iheanachor could mean for the team

Now that the dust has settled on the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and we've had some time to think about things, it is time to talk about the newest Steeler, offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. While we are critical of Iheanachor as a pick and we don't like the idea of how it all went down for the Steelers front office, let's take an objective look at what this pick might mean for Steelers.

Broderick Jones might be worse than we know

There were whispers out there just before the draft that Broderick Jones had suffered a setback in his recovery from last season's neck injury that could jeopardize his season. General Manager Omar Khan downplayed it in the pre-draft press conference but clearly things aren't great for Jones.

It might have fixed the issue at guard

No, we aren't among those who see Iheanachor as a starting guard in the NFL. The kid is still learning how to play tackle, there's no benefit in putting that on him as a rookie. But let's say, for instance, that Iheanachor comes in and just dominates at camp. It's like Senior Bowl week all Summer long. He could start at left tackle or Pittsburgh could go with Dylan Cook and instead, Iheanachor starts on the right and Troy Fautanu kicks inside to left guard.

Hopefully Omar Khan learned a lesson

In 2025, GM Omar Khan was on the phone with defensive tackle Derrick Harmon well ahead of the pick just chatting him up, confident no team is trading up for him. This led to him doing the same in 2026 and getting burned for it. We don't know how common this is but in 2026, getting humiliated in 4K should be a lesson for Khan not to take anything for granted.