The general consensus coming out of the 2024 NFL Draft is that the Pittsburgh Steelers seemingly won the weekend — again — as GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl nailed their second draft together.
Pittsburgh beefed up the offensive line in a major way, landing two instant starters in Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu and West Virginia center Zach Frazier while also adding depth in the form of South Dakota State guard Mason McCormick.
The Steelers also addressed the receiver position with the addition of Michigan’s Roman Wilson and might have landed the best linebacker in the entire draft class, depending on health, with North Carolina State’s Payton Wilson.
Yet despite the seemingly universal praise, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso gave the Steelers a “B+” draft grade, downplaying the selection of Fautanu as his reasoning.
“The Steelers absolutely needed to address the offensive line in this draft and did exactly that. Fautanu didn’t do it for me on film because of his lack of strength, but his mobility unquestionably jumped off the film,” Trapasso writes regarding his reasoning for the draft grade. “Frazier is an instant starter at center, and the Wilson duo in Round 3 perfectly filled needs. McCormick feels like a future starter at guard because of his athletic gifts, power, and awareness.”
Trapasso might be the first person to downplay the Steelers’ selection of Fautanu at No. 20 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Questioning the Washington product’s power seems a bit strange, considering it’s littered all over his tape. He plays with brute force and brings a real edge to the game. The power is evident in his hands, too. Remember, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said before the trade, too, that Fautanu has “tidal waves of power” and strength to his game.
But Trapasso doesn’t see it. Odd.
Regardless, the Steelers landed an immediate starter with Fautanu, who was considered one of the top offensive linemen in the class. Where he starts remains to be seen, but he’s easily one of the five best linemen the Steelers can put out on the field.
Frazier slides immediately into the center position for the Steelers, which was a massive area of need for Pittsburgh entering the NFL Draft after cutting Mason Cole in late February and not addressing the position in free agency or via trade. It all worked out in the end, though, because Frazier slid to No. 51 overall in the second round, surprising the Steelers.
McCormick capped off the trifecta along the offensive line for the Steelers, giving Pittsburgh great depth at guard and center. He profiles as a future starter, but for now can push Nate Herbig as that true interior swing lineman and could step into the starting lineup in 2025 at either right guard to replace James Daniels, who is entering a contract year, or at left guard with Isaac Seumalo in his 30s.
Oddly enough, though Trapasso wasn’t high on the Fautanu draft pick, it wasn’t even the lowest grade he gave out. That went to the likes of the Roman Wilson selection at No. 84 overall (B-) and the selection of Iowa defensive lineman Logan Lee at No. 178 in the sixth round (B-).
Though the Steelers seemingly did very well overall in the draft, Trapasso’s “B+” grade tied the Baltimore Ravens for the lowest grade in the AFC North. Trapasso gave the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals grades of “A-” coming out of the weekend.
