The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised many when they drafted Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick. Our staff gathered their respective thoughts on the pick and turned in our grades on the selection, as we will each day of the NFL Draft. Here’s how the BTSC staff graded the pick.
Ryan Parish: Fans wanted something sexier like a top WR but that just isn’t in line with how the Steelers, or most good teams, do business. With $20 million+ each going to DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., spending a 1st on WR never made sense.
With the uncertainty around Broderick Jones – who was unlikely to get a second contract anyway – the Steelers and Big Mike chose to eat their vegetables and continue to build through the trenches. The talking point about Iheanachor was that he was raw because he is relatively new to football. And yet to anyone who watched his tape, he wasn’t nearly as raw as the talking heads would have you believe, including a stellar performance against this year’s No. 2 overall pick. We could look back in a few years and Iheanachor is the best tackle from this draft. He has that kind of potential. Grade: A+
Ryland Bickley: Raw but high-upside is the one-liner with Iheanachor, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Considering he only started playing football in college, his game is remarkably polished for where he’s at even if his best football is still in front of him.
With a 9.91 RAS, Iheanachor’s strength and easy athleticism stand out on tape. There is still some risk involved and new offensive line coach James Campen will have to prove his worth, but considering the way the board fell and that the Steelers are still in quarterback purgatory, this was a strong, future-focused move that could solidify the Pittsburgh O-line for years.
The team can easily stock up on quality defensive backs and wide receivers in the next few rounds (although the Makai Lemon draft call update does hurt a bit and lower my grade). It’ll be interesting to see how this shuffles the Pittsburgh line moving forward, but I think the writing has been on the wall for Broderick Jones for a bit. Grade: B+
Joey Bray: I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. The Steelers decided to stand pat at 21. They had every opportunity to come up and use some of your ammo to go up and get the falling Makai Lemon. Overall, Iheanachor feels eerily similar to the Broderick Jones selection just a few years ago. All of the upside, but still a bit of a question mark given he only played one year in college. We could very well look back on this as a steal of a selection for the Steelers. For now, it’s a swing for the Steelers who continue to try to figure out their offensive line by selecting their third first-round tackle in four years. Grade: C
Jarrett Bailey: The Steelers have the most picks of any team in the draft, and instead of being aggressive, they sat on their hands and got little brothered by an actually aggressive team in front of their home fans.
The Steelers were on the phone with Makai Lemon ready to draft him when Howie Roseman and the Eagles swooped in to steal him away. That’s the difference between great organizations and organizations who masquerade as being great.
Even with the Lemon debacle, the Steelers didn’t need to take a tackle at 21. KC Concepcion would have been a fine consolation prize. Instead, they take their third tackle in four years in the first round. Uninspiring status quo pick. Iheanachor better be great, or this will be looked at as an all-time draft moment where the Steelers look foolish. Grade: D
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