The 2024 NFL Draft is just three days away, meaning that we are that much closer to finding out who will be new members of the Pittsburgh Steelers — finally.
Throughout the pre-draft process, plenty of names have been connected to the Steelers, generating quite a bit of attention. But anything can happen starting Thursday night when the Steelers are on the clock.
Of those names that have been connected to the Steelers throughout the process, some more than others have generated quite a bit of buzz. It just so happens that three of those players also happen to be the favorite player at their respective positions in the NFL Draft for ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.
In a piece for ESPN.com Monday morning, Kiper listed his favorite player at each position in the draft class. Offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, center Zach Frazier and defensive lineman Ruke Ohorhoro were all highlighted by Kiper.
Those three names should be quite familiar to Steelers fans.
Fautanu is Kiper’s favorite guard in the class.
“Fautanu has been one of my favorites for the past year. He simply dominated on the left side of the line,” Kiper writes. “He played left tackle the past two seasons, but I envision his highest ceiling as a guard, where he started two games in college. I see an All-Pro guard when I watch him move, in the vein of Zack Martin, who played tackle at Notre Dame before moving to guard for the Cowboys.
“In his career, Fautanu allowed two pressures on passes thrown in 2.5 seconds or less, according to ESPN Stats & Information tracking. Not sacks — pressures. He was extremely consistent on a snap-to-snap basis.”
Fautanu is one of the best linemen in the draft class. Though his height is a concern at 6036, Fautanu has 34-inch arms and has a real nasty edge to his game that helped him flat-out dominate in college the last two seasons.
Though he wants to stick at tackle, calling talk of kicking inside “lazy analysis” his best path to greatness in the NFL is inside at either guard or center, which has him in the first-round discussion in the middle of the teens and early 20s.
The Steelers have shown quite a bit of interest in Fautanu throughout the pre-draft process, including sending offensive line coach Pat Meyer to Washington Pro Day, meeting with his family privately before the Pro Day and then bringing him to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit.
It’s unclear how the Steelers view him, whether that’s as a potential tackle, guard or even center, but it’s very clear that they like the talent overall.
Then, there is Frazier, the center out of West Virginia, the player that has been connected to the Steelers dating back to last summer with their glaring need at the position.
“Frazier is on this list because he broke his leg in late November and already has made his way back to be able to work out for NFL teams,” Kiper writes for ESPN.com. “He is one tough and fierce guy. A four-time heavyweight wrestling state champion in West Virginia, he played guard, tackle and center for the Mountaineers. He settled in at center over the past three seasons and developed into one of the best in the country.”
If not for the broken leg suffered late last season that ended his West Virginia career, there is a good chance Frazier is talked about as the best center in the draft class, rather than in the same mix with the likes of Duke’s Graham Barton and Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Pittsburgh has shown significant interest in Frazier, too, hosting him for a pre-draft visit, while also sending assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams to the Big 12 Pro Day to get a good look at Frazier’s workout.
Kiper expects Frazier to be selected in the top 50, so if the Steelers didn’t pick him at No. 20 overall, they’d have to move up in the second round to land the West Virginia product.
Then, there is Clemson’s Orhorhoro. Though he has been connected to the Steelers in the pre-draft process, some of that interest has seemingly waned as the Steelers did not host him for a pre-draft visit. However, the Steelers were at his Pro Day, and they had a formal meeting with him at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Orhorhoro went from not playing football until his junior year of high school to a three-year starter for the Tigers. That’s remarkable, and you can see on tape that he is still learning the nuances of the game,” Kiper writes. “The 6-foot-4, 294-pound lineman has some upside as an interior penetrator; he had 11.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss since 2021.
“Orhorhoro can play as a 5- or 3-technique, which ups his value at the next level. He is strong at the point of attack and can move guards and centers off the ball. He’s great against the run. I really like his upside.”
There is a lot to like with Orhorhoro. Plenty of upside, as Kiper writes, as he is still learning the game and the position overall. He’s a moldable ball of clay.
With needs along the defensive line, the Steelers showed initial interest in the young Clemson product. But it has cooled based on the tea leaves in recent months. Still, he could be a target on Day 2, as Kiper expects him to land in the second round along the defensive line in the draft class.
