The Pittsburgh Steelers have bolstered their offensive line in the last few drafts. That includes this year, with the team selecting offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round. Troy Fautanu will hold down one of the starting tackle spots, but Iheanachor will have a chance to win the job opposite Fautanu. However, former NFL general manager Ran Carthon thinks the Steelers should bring Iheanachor slowly.
“I think he’s a little further behind all these guys,” Carthon said Wednesday on his With the First Pick podcast. “Supremely talented, has everything that you want, but I think from a fundamental and technique standpoint, he’s still very raw.
“He would probably benefit from not having to play early. If he’s thrust out there too early, I think he’s going to deal with some real struggles, which I know will give Aaron Rodgers fits…Ultimately, I think he’ll be fine, but I think he will probably struggle the most.”
There’s no denying that Iheanachor is raw compared to the other offensive linemen taken in the first round this year. He only started playing football in 2021 and is still relatively new to the game.
Still, Iheanachor has shown a lot in a relatively limited amount of time. He started 31 of the 32 games he played at Arizona State University, logging over 2,000 snaps. Compare that to Monroe Freeling, the offensive tackle taken right before Iheanachor. He only made 17 career college starts, with 1,667 snaps on offense.
Therefore, while Iheanachor is inexperienced, he got a lot of work while at Arizona State. He still needs to clean his game up, though. Iheanachor had 16 penalties in college, including eight in 2025. That number has to come down in the NFL.
Iheanachor has a high ceiling, but the Steelers shouldn’t rush him onto the field. If they move Fautanu to left tackle, then Dylan Cook could begin as the starter at right tackle. While Cook has only played in five NFL games with four starts, he held his own for the Steelers last year while filling in at left tackle.
Cook could be a serviceable right tackle while Iheanachor finds his footing in the NFL. And the latter could always work his way into a starting role during the season. Forcing him to start early could do more harm than good, though.
