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."Lance Zierlein of NFL.com pegged Iheanachor as a Round 1 or 2 prospect, and while he does think more development is needed for the young tackle, Zierlein admits he might be more ready to step into the fire than many believe.While the selection of Iheanachor might have been a bit of a reach because he was more of a late first-round pick, there was some logic behind it.After all, Broderick Jones' status for Week 1 appears to be up in the air after he had a setback in his recovery from offseason neck surgery. The Steelers have denied that's the case, but his situation is still worth keeping an eye on.Not an ideal situation for the Steelers, but at least they might have an insurance policy in their first-round pick.More NFL NewsKayvon Thibodeaux rumor opens door for trade, with Saints among suitorsWhy Steelers drafted Drew Allar in third round of 2026 NFL DraftWhy Eagles pulled off blockbuster trade for Vikings' Jonathan GreenardLions' Blake Miller had interesting path to becoming right tackleWhy Rams drafted Ty Simpson in first round of 2026 NFL Draft