The Lions Should Draft This Guy: Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor fits the Lions really well if they do things the way we think they will at tackle

We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, we’re starting our new series called The Lions Should Draft This Guy. We’re going to profile a bunch of players we feel the Lions would love, and talk about their positives and negatives. Follow along! Here’s who […]

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Sep 20, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils offensive lineman Max Iheanachor (58) in action against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium.
Sep 20, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils offensive lineman Max Iheanachor (58) in action against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, we’re starting our new series called The Lions Should Draft This Guy. We’re going to profile a bunch of players we feel the Lions would love, and talk about their positives and negatives. Follow along! Here’s who we’ve covered so far:

The Positives of Max Iheanachor

Let’s start here. If you’re looking for an athletic tackle for the Lions, Iheanachor is the most athletic option the Lions could go with.

Iheanachor comes from basketball and soccer. He’s an athlete to the core, and he wowed everyone with how quickly he took to football. He allowed just 14 pressures and zero sacks in 2025.

If the Lions decided to start Larry Borom, which we think they’ll do, Iheanachor would sit on the bench to bake for at least a year and come in as a swing tackle at the start of his career. The Lions could start him in 2027 in theory.

This is not a Giovanni Manu situation where the frame and athleticism were purely the sale. Iheanachor has that, but he’s also shown he can play Division 1 football and do it at a high enough level to be a potential first-round pick. Ideally, the Lions could get him in the second.

The Concerns

While he has played well, it’s still fine to be concerned with the idea that Iheanachor didn’t play a snap of football until he joined the team at a community college. Arizona State saw enough to bring him in, though. The question is still how much more does he have to learn?

Iheanachor struggled with run blocking in 2025. He had a 66 grade, and for a Lions team that wants to run the ball above anything else, they might be more interested in a player who can come in and run block really well right away. If Iheanachor were to be the starter right away, it might not go well.

Related Articles