Steelers First-Round Pick is Headed Toward Starting Job

PITTSBURGH — As the temperature rises at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, so too does the intensity of competition. Even during a period of lighter activity on the field, it’s clear that things continue to ratchet up with each passing day. 

One of the biggest competitions at Steelers training camp is along the offensive line. Through the first week of practices, head coach Mike McCarthy has mixed and matched his offensive linemen like a poker dealer shuffling his deck. 

Through the dizziness of training camp, one player has consistently impressed, and that is rookie offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. The recent first-round pick entered the organization as a long-term project that was worth the wait, but one week into camp, he’s poised to challenge for a starting job when the regular season opens. 

Iheanachor Making His Mark on Steelers Training Camp

The thing that stands out about Iheanachor is how massive he is. The athletic and explosive descriptions are accurate, but what’s often undersold is how burly a man the rookie tackle is. Standing among the rest of the first-team linemen, he fits right in.

And that strength was evident each day of the first week of training camp. Going up against T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, he held his own. Sure, with no one wearing pads and no live tackling allowed, you can’t draw any official conclusions about Iheanachor’s NFL readiness. What you can do, however, is see how well the young player is adjusting to the next level.