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Aaron Rodgers’ special new protector will earn spot as rookie and become Steelers ‘fan favorite’
With the 21st overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Max Iheanachor.
The offensive tackle out of Arizona State will have quite the challenge in his rookie season — to protect veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
It’s not every day that a lineman walks out of college and gets to stand alongside a four-time MVP and a former Super Bowl champion in their first year.
But Iheanachor is not your average lineman.
He will, of course, have to earn his spot on an offensive line that already boasts previous first-round selections Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones, as well as other established names in Mason McCormick and Spencer Anderson.
A stellar collage resume will no doubt help.
Iheanachor started 31 games across an impressive career which saw him become a key cog in the Arizona State offensive line, and he didn’t allow a single sack in his senior season with the Sun Devils.
That effort helped earn him an All-Big 12 Second Team selection.
Iheanachor arrived in Tempe in 2023, and quickly established himself as a player that head coach Kenny Dillingham could rely on.
He’ll now get to showcase his talents in the NFL, and will be tasked with keeping the best defenders in football away from a 42-year-old Rodgers, who has confirmed the upcoming season will be his last.
Coach Dillingham believes he’ll rise to that challenge, and quickly become a fan favorite in Pittsburgh.
Max Iheanachor is special rookie who has bright NFL career ahead of him
“I FaceTimed him, you know, right when I knew he was getting drafted — and he was in the process of that,” Dillingham told talkSPORT of Iheanachor, when asked if he has spoken to his former player following the draft.
“So obviously he didn’t answer because he was about to get the call. The process, it kind of overlaps by a few minutes.
“But then I got on the phone with him about five minutes later. And what people don’t know about him is he’s an unbelievable person.
“He’s super intelligent, and he cares about people.”
Dillingham, who was speaking to media ahead of Arizona State’s trip to London for the Union Jack Classic at Wembley against the Kansas Jayhawks, went on to detail what makes Iheanachor special.
“He’s obviously talented, right? That’s a no-brainer. That’s self-explanatory,” the head coach, who has been with the Sun Devils since 2023, continued.
“But he’s a really smart guy who wants to do right by people and he cares.
“Anytime you put that combination together, you’re probably going to over-perform because you don’t want to let people down around you.
“You’re smart enough to understand that you have to do what you have to do as a rookie in order to play.
“So, I just think that combination of him being a really good person, and then being smart, combined with his talent — I think he’s going to be a guy people really buy into and a guy who really becomes a fan favorite out there.”
Sun Devils draft class makes history for Coach Dillingham
Iheanachor, who came to the United States from Nigeria when he was just 13-years old, and played soccer and basketball before transitioning to football in junior college, was part of a record-setting draft class for Arizona State.
He became the third of Coach Dillingham’s former players to be selected by an NFL team.
Cam Skattebo was the first, when the New York Giants drafted him 105th overall in 2025.
In 2026, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson was selected with the eighth overall pick by the New Orleans Saints, a matter of minutes before Iheanachor came off the board.
This year marked the first time since 1988, and only third-time ever, that Arizona State had two players selected in the top 21 picks of the draft.
Two more players followed Tyson and Iheanachor into the NFL, with cornerback Keith Abney II and linebacker Keyshaun Elliott both taken in the fifth round, by the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears respectively.
Having four Sun Devils selected in the 2026 draft speaks to the program Dillingham is building in Tempe, and the head coach will now be focused on preparing his roster for the upcoming season, and an exciting trip to London.
Tickets for Arizona State vs Kansas can be purchased now on the Union Jack Classic website.
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