PITTSBURGH — The first round pick for the Steelers is in Pittsburgh!
Max Iheanachor arrived on Friday afternoon.
Like many before him, he said he was just in awe when he came through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and saw the City of Pittsburgh appear.
But his journey from Nigeria to Pittsburgh was not easy.
His parents moved here, and he ended up taking up football for the first time in junior college.
He almost quit, but his parents and their mission to help get him an education were a driving force to keep at it. It was a decision that led to him being drafted in the first round by the Steelers.
“The first year was really rough, man, but I just stayed through it, kept fighting every day just trying to get better,” Iheanachor said.
Iheanachor is an offensive tackle - the third taken in the first round in four years. He played on the right side, where Troy Fauta is right now.
At junior college, he played on the left side, a position of uncertainty with Broderick Jones working through injury.
He talked about how he thinks he fits in with the offensive line based on what he’s seen.
“I watched a lot of offensive linemen. Broderick, when he got drafted, in Georgia, I watched him. Troy Fautanu, I got to play him. He actually texted me last night to welcome me, got to watch him when they won the championship. It was just really cool seeing him reach out to me,” Iheanachor said.
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