Steelers Rookie Max Iheanachor Already Proving Why He Was The Correct First-Round Pick For Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a very chaotic start to the 2026 offseason, appearing in headlines constantly. Everything from coaching changes, to roster updates were apparent, as they hired Mike McCarthy and generated a big buzz around the league. On Monday, the team went through their first full padded practice of training camp in Latrobe, PA. This is a significant milestone in their offseason, as the regular season rapidly approaches. Given all the changes up to this point, the new coaching staff will be looking to heavily evaluate things, and training camp is the perfect time to iron out the details. 

Given all the movement this offseason, both by acquiring free agents and drafting top talent to help complement the roster, several storylines continue to loom as to who will be playing where, as well as where guys will land on the depth chart in 2026. Among those drafted this year was their first-round pick in offensive lineman Max Iheanachor. On Monday, insider Mike DeFabo of The Athletic posted on his X account mentioning that their young rookie has shown why he was selected where he was, as the intensity at camp has finally picked up.

This report from DeFabo is quite eye-popping, especially given what Iheanachor's head coach said when asked about him ahead of the first padded practice. While the Black and Gold leader emphasized being in tune with the team during these times as it is his first year with the team, he also spoke on the first-round pick. While speaking about him, he added in some context about the young guys on the roster.

“Just frankly, in pads, that’s what I’m looking forward to,” McCarthy said. “I want to see [Iheanachor's] feet, I want to see the athletic ability come out, his understanding of what we’re asking him to do. The speed of the game is a big hurdle for young guys when you get to this point. Let’s see how it goes in the phone booth. I just want to see all of our young, interior guys.” 

The new offensive lineman in the Steel City is not the only one whose work in pads will be heavily evaluated. Rookie quarterback Drew Allar was drafted in the third round, but the coaching staff wanted to work on rebuilding him from the ground up. He could be another player that the Steelers coach eluded to in terms of a young guy they want to see perform now that the pads are on. It is also very possible that if Pittsburgh's first-round pick shows he can quickly become an NFL starter, he could potentially steal a spot from Dylan Cook at right tackle.

Steelers Must Pay Attention To Detail Under New Coaching Staff

One thing to keep an eye on, and something that the new coaching staff emphasized this offseason, is the team's attention to detail ahead of the 2026 season. This is specifically important when it comes to communication, as this was an area the team suffered heavily in during the 2025 campaign. This will be especially crucial for Iheanachor, as he was drafted as a raw talent, and did not start to play the sport of football until the summer of 2021.

The encouraging sign with him is that with McCarthy's comments Monday morning ahead of the first padded practice, DeFabo's post followed it up reinforcing why he was taken as high as he was. With an offensive line that looks to protect Aaron Rodgers, an athletic and big-bodied rookie could be exactly what that unit needs in 2026. This week will allow for a longer look at Iheanachor as the team ramps things up closer to a more simulated style of football with the pads going on.

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