The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone and the Pittsburgh Steelers stand out as one of the teams who knocked it out of the park. Each of their first four picks was selected after their consensus ranking and they added good depth on Day 3. The best news for the Steelers, though, is that their offensive line has potentially been successfully rebuilt. They entered the draft with offensive line as their biggest need, and they addressed it in a big way.
Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Line Rebuild Is Complete
Starting off in the first round, Christmas came early for Pittsburgh when Washington’s Troy Fautanu fell into their lap at 20th overall. Fautanu is a superb athlete with good versatility. He played left tackle in college but may be asked to move to the right side in the NFL. If not, Broderick Jones will remain at right tackle. It’s a good problem to have when both tackles can play on either side. Then there’s Zach Frazier, the West Virginia center selected by the Steelers in Round 2. He is an immediate plug-and-play starter and addresses Pittsburgh’s most glaring hole. Finally, the Steelers made a bit of a surprise selection, drafting South Dakota State’s Mason McCormick in the fourth round. The Steelers don’t need a guard in the short term, but he’s a high-upside depth piece with the potential to start in a year or two.
Projecting the Lineup
Last year, the two weak links on the Steelers offensive line were left tackle and center. The best part of Pittsburgh’s first two selections is their pro-readiness. Both Fautanu and Frazier are locks to be instant starters. Frazier will man the middle, flanked by left guard Isaac Seumalo and right guard James Daniels. That should be a very good, punishing interior.
The tackles will be Fautanu and Jones; the question is who will play on which side. Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin reiterated during the offseason their intentions to eventually move Jones back to left tackle. While Fautanu hasn’t played right tackle, he has said he is comfortable doing so. Conventional wisdom points to Fautanu staying at left tackle, but Khan and Tomlin may have other plans. The good news? There is no wrong answer.
Fitting in Arthur Smith’s Offense
When the Steelers hired Arthur Smith, it was clear they wanted to have a strong running game. While Smith had ups and downs both as a head coach and an offensive coordinator, his teams have consistently been very effective at running the ball. Given this history, it’s no surprise Pittsburgh wanted to address the offensive line early and often in the draft.
After the selections of Fautanu and Frazier, the biggest strength of the Steelers’ offensive line is their athleticism. All five guys are not only capable of pulling, but they’re very good at it. Fautanu is such a good athlete that he was potentially projected as a guard in the NFL. His quick feet and general agility serve him very well when getting out in space. While Frazier isn’t near the same level of athlete, he saw plenty of success as a puller in college. Though he won’t be a starter, McCormick is a very good athlete, too.
Smith’s successful rushing offenses of the past haven’t used nearly as much pulling as the Steelers should use this year. Fortunately, Smith has a history of adapting his rushing schemes to the strength of his team. He will get these good athletes get out in space ahead of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, which he alluded to in his Friday night press conference.
Arthur Smith:
"When those guys are really comfortable playing in space, there are certain things you want to add. You don't want to get stale. You're going to do more than print the same playbook from the year before or four years before…you want to evolve."
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) April 27, 2024
The Youth Movement
While the Steelers’ offensive line is now loaded with talent, there’s the potential for some growing pains early on. When Week 1 rolls around, there will be two rookies and one second-year player starting. That could be less than ideal short term, but long term, it is great for the Steelers. They have not had sustained elite offensive line play since the mid-2010s. Allowing this unit to grow together has the potential to reap a massive reward.
With Fautanu and Frazier now in the mix, the average age on the Steelers offensive line is 24.6 years old. Frazier is 22, the same age as last year’s first-round pick Broderick Jones. Fautanu is actually a year older than Jones at 23. Even Daniels, one of the veterans of the offensive line, is only 26. Seumalo is the oldest player on the line, but he is only 30 and still has some good years left. McCormick’s planned trajectory could be to replace Seumalo, who has two years left on his contract. Or, he could replace Daniels if the Steelers elect not to re-sign him after the 2024 season.
Overall, the Steelers need to be thrilled with their selections of Fautanu, Frazier, and McCormick. It is not easy to find two starter-ready linemen in the same draft, but they managed to do just that. And they added a high-upside, future starter, too. Their offensive line has needed an overhaul for a few years, and that overhaul is now complete.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
