The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a 34-22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts which was their third victory at home in as many tries this season. Head Coach Mike McCarthy remained undefeated at Acrisure Stadium and the team looked much improved compared to Week 4. Helping to pave the way for the offensive outburst was rookie offensive lineman Max Iheanachor, who the organization was not originally going to select during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. After battling through an injury for some of the preseason, the rookie from Arizona State has made his way into the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh front.
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Steelers offensive lineman Max Iheanachor prepares to block during a preseason game in August of 2026.
During that first round of the draft, McCarthy and General Manager Omar Khan were on the phone with wide receiver Makai Lemon and getting ready to select him. Their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, then traded up to take the wide receiver with the 20th overall pick in the first round. Despite missing out on the wide receiver, their selection at 21st overall is starting to validate the decision.
On Monday, team insider Jim Wexell hosted an episode of his Steel City Insider podcast to recap the huge victory for McCarthy's group on Sunday. During the show, he mentioned that he is liking what he is seeing with both the offensive and defensive lines. While discussing the offensive line, he also made it clear that he believes the Steelers picked the right guy after all.
“The miss on Lemon is turning into a real blessing in disguise,” Wexell said. “That’s the continued hunch. I think we all felt that way at the time after we watched Iheanachor on tape.”
The rookie first-round offensive lineman played an integral part in helping Aaron Rodgers and the offense march the ball down the field Sunday. This was also their best offensive output to date for the 2026 NFL season. While Khan and McCarthy had an embarrassing slip-up back in April, the former Sun Devils lineman is really starting to make the pick look better as the season unfolds. Rodgers also was able to tie a record that former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger never could.
One of the biggest knocks on Iheanachor was that he lacked experience in his football playing career, despite having tremendously raw size for the position at the NFL level. However, he has played very solid thus far, which has helped contribute to his quarterback getting the Pittsburgh offense to get in rhythm and really start to put points on the scoreboard. The offensive line was one of the most critical pieces to success entering the 2026 season, as they know how important it is to keep their 42-year-old quarterback upright to get the ball to his playmakers.
Steelers' Improved Offense Will Go As Far As The Line Carries Them
The hiring of McCarthy came with the selling point that he is considered a quarterback guru around the league and would be able to improve an offense that was in drastic need of doing just that. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Lemon has caught just 15 passes for 108 yards so far this season and has not been able to find the end zone yet. The lack of production from him so far for the Eagles compared to the contributions provided by Pittsburgh's first-round pick are making the Steelers look much better now for the selection.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Max Iheanachor is introduced at Acrisure Stadium before a 2026 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now that Iheanachor has had a chance to work his way into the starting lineup in the Steel City, he has a massive opportunity to learn and grow at the position while proving to the front office they made the right selection after all. He has done just that so far, especially with the offense trending in a very good direction with the points they have been able to put up in recent games. Should the offensive line keep playing well, the offensive turnaround will be worth the miss on Lemon.
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