For a team with stability and tradition like the Pittsburgh Steelers, they just know when they have one of their guys. And Troy Fautanu is one of their guys. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday, GM Omar Khan discussed the selection of the team’s first round pick, believing he’s a great fit with his play and personality.
“He’s a Steeler,” Khan told the show. “We talked about having the right type of people…you guys are from here and we can talk for hours about what it means to be a Steeler. But the reality is when you’re from around here or you’ve been here a long time, you just kind of know, right? You guys know when you meet a guy and you’re like, this guy’s a Steeler. You know what? That guy’s a Steeler. So, we’re excited to have him.”
Khan was referring to Pat McAfee and Tone Digs, two Plum natives who grew up in Pittsburgh’s suburbs. Fautanu, a Steelers fan growing up who loved watching Troy Polamalu, impressed the team on and off the field. Though neither Mike Tomlin nor Khan attended his Pro Day, Fautanu was brought in for a visit, a crucial chance to get to know the type of person the team was getting. He passed with flying colors.
Getting people like Fautanu was the beginning of the draft’s theme. Quality players, quality people, and guys who will put their hand in the pile.
“And [Zach] Frazier, you know, really our draft class is really, I’m proud to say it,” Khan said. “Every one of those guys, in my opinion, are Steelers. I think the community’s gonna like him. Tone, you’re gonna love him. It’s gonna be great, man. The Steeler fans are gonna love him.”
Fans already are enamored with Frazier, the local prospect from Morgantown. He, along with Roman and Payton Wilson, met Steeler Nation at last Saturday’s draft party, all agreeing their focus is on winning a Super Bowl. That’s the culture the team is looking to bring back, a standard that arguably slipped in recent years. Winning a playoff game is the first step, something they haven’t achieved since 2016, and they have the people to break that streak. And hopefully go further than that.
