Steelers' Troy Fautanu Has Great Praise For 2024 Draft Classmates

Ever since Omar Khan took over as general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers, there has been a big emphasis on dominating in the trenches. In his first two drafts, he selected five offensive linemen. Two of them were first-round picks, and another was a second-rounder. Due to a variety of issues, however, that unit has not been able to blossom just yet. As long as it has a healthy training camp and preseason, 2025 will be the first year where the young linemen will be able to truly gel together. 

During an interview with TribLIVE, 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu gave all kinds of praise to the other linemen that were selected alongside him.

“Mason [McCormick] is a very communicative person,” Fautanu said. “He’s making sure I’m on the same page as him, and Zach [Frazier] is doing an absolutely great job at settling the table. Right now, this is a good time for us to [gel] and be comfortable playing next to each other.”

While Fautanu missed almost all of his first season, the other rookie blockers had great seasons. Zach Frazier started every game that he was healthy for, and he provided the much-needed stability at center that the team has not had since Maurkice Pouncey retired. As long as he continues to grow, he will be the anchor of the line in Pittsburgh for the next decade.

Meanwhile, Mason McCormick was expected to be more of a project lineman that would get a few snaps here and there. However, he started at left guard in Week 4, then he moved to right guard for the rest of the year after James Daniels' season-ending injury. For a fourth-round rookie coming out of an FCS school, he played very well and has solidified his spot on the starting lineup for 2025 and beyond. 

Now that Fautanu is healthy, his focus in Organized Team Activities (OTAs) is to mesh with his draftmates on the right side of the line. Frazier and McCormick have developed good chemistry in 2024, so adding the former first-round selection to the equation should not be too much of a problem. Of course, he is not the only one looking to prove he belongs in this system, but he has first dibs at locking down the quarterback's front side.

Steelers Need Legitimate Stability At Both Tackle Positions

On the blindside, Broderick Jones is looking to prove that he is not a bust now that he is back at his natural position. Jones was not good at all in 2024, when he played right tackle. He was second in sacks allowed, only behind his teammate at the time, Dan Moore Jr. Now that Moore is out of the picture, Jones will get to go back to where he is comfortable and show what he is truly capable of. 

Jones came out of college as a high-risk high-reward project. He had a lot of talent, but was very raw, as he did not have much college experience. Meanwhile, Fautanu was seen as more of a sure-fire prospect with not much risk attached to him. Now that Jones is in his third year in the NFL, he will be expected to be on the same page as the interior offensive line, who have meshed well. If not, the Steelers will likely be quick to search for his replacement.

Fautanu will get another year of mercy, due to his missing almost his entire rookie season. However, he is still expected to fit well schematically with McCormick. That communication between the front-side linemen will be a big key to Fautanu's development. There are a lot of factors for the development of the young tackles, but having Frazier and McCormick solidified in their roles can only help them grow as one cohesive unit.

What do you think about Fautanu praising Frazier and McCormick? Do you think him and Jones can mesh with them? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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