The Pittsburgh Steelers made it an emphasis to address the offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft, with three of their first five selections addressing the offensive line. In an episode of The OLine Committee Podcast, former NFL offensive linemen Alex Boone and Jeremiah Sirles praised the work the Steelers did in the draft and particularly how they addressed the offensive line, especially in a division like the AFC North. The two also talked about Mike Tomlin and how he’s one of the best coaches in football.
“Another team that has done really well this year, especially in the draft, is the Steelers. You go out and you get Troy Fautanu, and then you talk about turning around and getting Frazier, and then you go even later and you get Mason McCormick. Like, you got your whole interior offensive line in this draft,” Boone said. “I think they really addressed a huge, key issue that they have. Especially in their division, they play some really badass defenses. And you gotta have some big boys up front, and those are some big motherfuckers.”
Boone said they tried to recruit Zach Frazier to work out at their gym and that Fautanu’s footwork is impressive. He also compared McCormick to former offensive lineman Matt Slauson.
“Massive dude, just badass dude. He reminds me of Slauson a lot, and you know how much I love Matt Slauson. Dude that would just stay in there and fucking inject haymakers into your face, like I can eat this longer than you can fucking dish it out,” Boone said. “I love that. And you talk about a division that’s very punch you in the face and now we’re gonna be coming after you with the run game and play action. Dude, I’m so excited to see the Steelers.”
Slauson played 10 years in the league, starting 113 games in his career. If McCormick has that sort of longevity for the Steelers, it will go down as a really solid pick in the fourth round. McCormick is the type of player who just keeps coming at you with his hand usage and is an absolute bully on the field. The “punch you in the face” mentality is something that he can certainly bring to the Steelers.
The same can also be said for Fautanu and Frazier, as all three are very physical players who will fit right in the AFC North. While Boone said that the Steelers drafted their interior offensive line in the draft, the team, at least for now, plans on playing Fautanu at tackle, while Frazier will slot in at center and McCormick can be depth at guard before potentially taking over as a starter down the line.
Boone and Sirles also talked about how much they both love Mike Tomlin, and in particular they talked about the buy-in he’s been able to get from offensive linemen.
“I want a head coach that’s a leader of men and also a great football mind,” Sirles said. “Bill Belichick comes to mind and then you gotta start thinking Tomlin is right up there on that list.”
The two addressed how Tomlin has had to deal with a lot of big personalities and handled things well. They also said they’ve heard from players in the league that he’s a guy who makes you want to run through a wall for him, while balancing being a player’s coach and someone who’s not afraid to tell you how you messed up.
With the two being former offensive linemen, they also looked at it from the perspective of the offensive line and talked about the buy-in Tomlin has gotten from “the most badass offensive line dudes.”
“At the same time, when you think of a guy who can get the most badass offensive line dudes to buy in, think about their offensive line, Alan Faneca, you had [Maurkice] Pouncey, you had Ramon Foster.”
While Pittsburgh’s offensive line has been in a bit of flux over the past few years, buy-in has never been an issue on the line, and the team kept together a unit that featured Pouncey, Foster and guys like Alejandro Villanueva, another name mentioned by Boone and Sirles, together for a long time in the 2010s.
Now, the Steelers will look to build another core of offensive linemen. The team’s gotten aggressive in free agency over the last few seasons, signing James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo and adding through the draft with Broderick Jones last year and the trio of linemen this year, starting with Fautanu in the first round. With Arthur Smith aboard as offensive coordinator, the Steelers are going to be a team that can pound the ball all game long and try to win with their run game, and addressing the offensive line is a good way to ensure that can and will be their identity.
With Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the backfield, the Steelers have the pieces in place to win on the ground. Both Warren and Harris are tough, physical runners and drafting a trio of offensive linemen who are physical and true people movers is going to make life a lot easier for those two. Earlier today, Brian Baldinger said he thinks it will be the best offensive line that Russell Wilson has ever played behind, and that’s going to help this offense take a step forward from where it’s been the past few seasons.
Like Boone, I can’t wait to see how things play out for the Steelers this season, and I’m excited to see their rebuilt offensive line throw some defensive linemen around and see the Steelers get back to playing smashmouth football.
