Max Iheanachor is a 6’6, 321-pound OT prospect from Arizona State University. The 22-year-old has a unique story, being a Nigerian immigrant and playing basketball in high school at King Drew Magnet High School before being convinced to give football a try at a JUCO college, East Los Angeles College, in 2021. He also had a soccer background early on. Iheanacho went on to develop and play great football, then decided to transfer to Arizona State. The reason he chose Arizona State was his previous relationship with Sage Tuitele (Arizona State’s Offensive Line Coach). At Arizona State, he played for 3 years. He came in as a raw prospect, but that was short-lived as he began to see real playing time at the end of 2023. In 2024, he became the definitive starter and never looked back. In 2025, Iheanachor had 484 pass protection snaps without allowing a sack. Iheanacho looks to model his game after Penei Sewell as he continues to develop it in the NFL.
Iheanachor is very athletic because of his basketball background. At the combine, Iheanachor posted a 4.91 40-yard dash as an offensive lineman. That is really impressive. His play strength is also noticeable when he faced Texas Tech’s edge rushers; he was able to hold his own against a top projected draft pick, David Bailey. He has great length, and that allows him to remain strong against defenders in his lower half.
Iheanachor’s mental ability is very strong. You can see that, given his history and the short time frame, he turned himself into a starting lineman in the Big 12. His rapid ascent from JUCO to Arizona State, despite never having played football, cannot go unnoticed. Sometimes he over-sets, probably due to lack of experience, rather than playing on instinct, but he just shows nonstop competitive toughness in every rep that he has.
When discussing Iheanachor’s use of his hands, his technique lacks years’ worth of repetition, but his long arms and basketball-like movement make up for it in some areas. He has wide hand placement, which can force him to give up leverage, but when he does get his hands in the correct spot, his grip strength is extremely impressive. It is worth noting that in 2025, Iheanachor had 8 penalties because, typically, he doesn’t always get his hands on the defensive lineman’s jersey. His lockout is effective and noticeable when he punches correctly. He does a great job of steering defenders away from gaps with his 6’6 frame, preventing them from reaching the areas needed.
Arizona State ran a lot of gap-heavy rushing attacks. When Iheanachor drives a defender vertically, he is elite in that attribute. He struggles with pad level, often ending up too high. In short yardage, he is dominant and sets the physicality for the offensive line. On combo blocks, he is a brick wall, and defensive linemen cannot split him.
Iheanacho’s lateral movement is excellent, with an explosive first step; he can beat defenders to spots. It is also worth noticing that he gets his hips around quickly to square up defenders head-on. He looks to hunt linebackers in the open field and opens the way for the 2nd level for big gains. A problem is that he can whiff and is not always very fundamental. He looks to go for the knockout rather than a clean block and let the running back finish the job.
An area where he excels is his pass protection. He sets up wide and gains vertical depth while maintaining balance thanks to his strong lower half. He’s got great set points, just reaching his spots before most others can. An area where he can struggle is against complex defensive schemes that have a variety of linebackers and safeties blitzing. Giving up 0 sacks in 484 pass protection snaps is an impressive feat.
Iheanachor has one of the best kick slides from a tackle prospect in this draft. Edge rushers have to get creative to get by Iheanachor, as he can be a difficult matchup for any defensive lineman. He has great footwork, which is surprising considering the other areas of his game that lack repetition; his footwork is not one of them. On pull plays, his footwork is great, driving his lower half in the direction needed.
His positional versatility is probably not great. He may have a future at left tackle as he continues to grow, but that’s about it. Because of his lack of experience already playing football in his life, leaving him in a position he’s comfortable in is definitely the best option to see him succeed.
Iheanacho has the potential to be a great NFL player, but he will need to continue learning. He is a very raw prospect and could be a home-run pick if he pans out, kinda like a boom-or-bust guy. His ceiling is very high, but if he can’t fix certain areas of his game, he may not translate to the NFL.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit:
The 2 best scheme fits that immediately stick out are the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Both teams have a wide zone run scheme and have balanced passing attacks, but with Zach Tom and Colton McKivitz at right tackle, there isn’t really an immediate starting role. So some teams that need a right tackle, including the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Los Angeles Rams, would be good fits.
NFL Player Comp: Abraham Lucas RT (Seattle Seahawks)
This is the comparison because these 2 guys have elite pass-protection metrics but can be ineffective in some areas. Lucas carved out a nice starting role with the Super Bowl champion Seahawks as a young player, and the expectation is for Iheanachor to do something similar. Also have similar frames and similar styles of play.
Projection: Starting Right Tackle / Swing Tackle
Iheanacho may not start immediately, depending on the situation he gets drafted into, but he is a starting-caliber offensive lineman. If he doesn’t start year 1 as a rookie, expect by year 2 to get his first shot as a starter, whether he can stick in this league or not. A Pro Bowl in his future is not out of the question.
Grade and Round Projection: 4.49, Early to Mid 2nd Round
Iheanachor graded out at a 4.49. He has the potential to be between 5.2 and 5.5 if everything pans out, or 3.2 and 3.5 if he doesn’t. Teams looking for a right tackle who are willing to be patient with his development will likely get the best out of him. Overall, expect a team to take this player in the early to mid-2nd round because he will not be on the board for long because of some of the elite traits he possesses.
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