Draft month, finally, has arrived.
Continuing our recurring series, which began earlier this month and will run until the 2026 NFL Draft begins on April 23, The Detroit News will spotlight one prospect a day who could be a first-round fit for the Detroit Lions, who own the 17th overall pick. Assuming the Lions don’t trade out, it’ll be their highest selection since running back Jahmyr Gibbs went No. 12 in 2023.
Today’s focus will be on Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.
By the numbers
12 appearances in 2025
14 pressures allowed (11 hurries, three quarterback hits)
860 offensive snaps (484 pass blocking, 376 run blocking)
0 special teams snaps
Career overview
Iheanachor spent the first 13 years of his life in Nigeria before moving to the United States, where he attended King/Drew Magnet High School in Los Angeles. Iheanachor spent most of his youth around basketball and soccer, never playing football until his first year at East Los Angeles College (King/Drew did not have a football team). During a car ride back from one of his summer basketball games, Iheanachor’s AAU coach brought up the idea of football, and he later introduced Iheanachor to ELAC head coach Bobby Godinez.
Godinez placed Iheanachor on the offensive line and assisted in molding him into a player capable of contributing at the Division I level. After two years at ELAC, Iheanachor landed at Arizona State. He was rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 30 prospect coming out junior college in 2023. The last ELAC alumnus to be on an NFL roster was tight end Anthony Denham with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. It’s been more than a decade since someone from the school was drafted into the league, as cornerback Jeremy Harris went to the Jacksonville Jaguars as a seventh-rounder in 2013.
At Arizona State, injuries to his teammates in 2023 forced Iheanachor onto the field for five starts; he was one of five offensive tackles in the Pac-12 to record at least 200 reps as a pass blocker that season and not allow a sack. Iheanachor became a full-time starter in 2024 and held the same role in 2025, helping Arizona State to a 19-8 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. He allowed 35 pressures and three sacks over that two-year stretch, according to Pro Football Focus, playing all but one of his 1,782 offensive snaps at right tackle.
Analysis
Considering his physical traits and rapid maturation since he began playing football in 2021, it’s no wonder why Iheanachor has been one of the biggest risers of the pre-draft process. At 6-foot-6 and 321 pounds, he has the third-longest arms (33⅞ inches) among the seven offensive tackles who are receiving first-round consideration (behind Georgia’s Monroe Freeling and Clemson’s Blake Miller), and he turned in a strong combine, with results in the 40-yard dash (4.91 seconds), 10-yard split (1.73 seconds) and broad jump (9 feet, 7 inches) that ranked third, fifth and tied for third among all offensive linemen, respectively.
But don’t mistake Iheanachor for a mere project. He was a legitimate piece for an Arizona State offense that was a top-30 rushing attack nationally over the last two seasons, and he impressed in what was perhaps his most difficult test in pass protection in 2025, allowing only two pressures against Texas Tech’s tandem of David Bailey and Romello Height. Iheanachor was also one of the best players at the Senior Bowl in February.
There is some work to be done regarding Iheanachor’s technique, with scouts pointing to his hand placement as an area that needs improvement. Iheanachor was whistled for eight penalties last season (only five were accepted), more than Miami’s Francis Mauigoa (seven), Miller (five), Utah’s Spencer Fano (five) and Caleb Lomu (four), Freeling (two) and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor (two). Refinement is needed, but not necessarily wholesale development.
Iheanachor is nowhere near a finished product, but he’s entering the NFL with a higher floor than you’d expect from someone who’s only being playing football for about a half-decade. Using a first-round pick on Iheanachor could provide the Lions with a long-term answer at tackle across from Penei Sewell, and the addition of Larry Borom on a one-year, $5 million deal means Iheanachor wouldn’t have to start right away as a rookie, if he needs some direction from offensive line coach Hank Fraley. With a looming potential move to the left side of the line for Sewell, Iheanachor would have the opportunity to be Detroit’s right tackle of the future.
Previous profiles
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs
Auburn defensive lineman Keldric Faulk
Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano
Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy
Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor
Miami edge defender Akheem Mesidor
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: How Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor could fit with the Detroit Lions
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
