Pittsburgh Steelers charged with making one of worst value picks of 2026 NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers' first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft is not getting a positive review from one analyst.
Pittsburgh Steelers charged with making one of worst value picks of 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Pittsburgh Steelers thought they had their No.
21 overall pick locked in, until they didn't. The Steelers were on the phone with wide receiver Makai Lemon and thought they had him in their grasp until the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in at the last minute, pulling off a move up to No. 20 with the Dallas Cowboys of all teams to steal Lemon.
That forced Pittsburgh to pivot to offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, and that pick led to The Sporting News' Daniel Mader calling the Arizona State product one of the worst value picks in the draft . "Even if the Steelers wanted a receiver after missing out on Lemon, either of KC Concepcion or Denzel Boston would have been great fall-back options," Mader explained. "Instead, Iheanachor, still relatively newer to football, may have fallen into the late-20s had the Steelers not taken him," Mader added.
"That isn't to say this couldn't be a great pick someday — the lineman brings some speed and good movement skills to the NFL — but he's also a project player who needs time to develop. There's no guarantee that Iheanachor is ready to take on an NFL starting role as a rookie. " Mader also didn't understand Pittsburgh being in a win-now situation and picking an offensive lineman who "may not contribute much for at least a year.