The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted seven players with three of them on the offensive line. The expectations were that they would add two linemen: an offensive tackle and a center. They did that in OT Troy Fautanu from Washington with the 20th overall pick and C Zach Frazier from West Virginia in the second round. They also added OL Mason McCormick from South Dakota State in the fourth round.
So what does that mean for the Steelers’ offensive line in 2024? That’s the biggest post-draft question according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. She was part of the NFL Nation panel examining the biggest post-draft questions for all 32 NFL teams.
“The Steelers continued revamping their offensive line, using three of their first five picks to address the position…” Pryor wrote. “The Steelers look to have assembled an offensive line core to get the team back to its ground-and-pound identity. But where does everyone fit? Will [Broderick] Jones remain at right tackle? Will Fautanu unseat Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle? It’s a good problem to have, but one that has to be solved for the Steelers to run effectively under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.”
There are multiple questions hidden underneath the big question of “Where does everyone fit?”. We can look back at last year’s draft in which the Steelers traded up in the first round to select Jones. He played left tackle in college, but he did not start Week 1. When he did become a starter, it was not at his natural position but instead at right tackle. That’s despite Moore having a terrible year in pass protection.
The Steelers were incredibly patient with starting Jones, and when they did put him in the starting lineup, it wasn’t even his regular position. So will history repeat itself with Fautanu? The team did not trade up to take him, so the investment is technically less than what it invested in Jones. And even though Fautanu played left tackle in college, it wasn’t protecting the blindside as QB Michael Penix Jr. is left-handed.
Plus, the Steelers have said they want to get Jones back to left tackle long-term. Whether that happens starting Week 1 or down the road, we don’t know. All we know is that the Steelers have three main offensive tackles on the roster currently.
As for Frazier at center, his path to starting is much clearer. The Steelers cut last year’s starter, Mason Cole, this offseason. The backup is Nate Herbig, who has played almost exclusively at guard in his NFL career. If Frazier plays well in training camp and preseason, it’s going to be nearly impossible to keep him off the field.
Then there’s McCormick. He’s not from an FBS school, but he had more collegiate starts than just about any other player in the draft as a six-year senior. He’s also facing stiff competition in starters Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels. The likelihood he starts outside of injury problems is quite low.
So what will the offensive line look like? It’s easy to want to picture a line in which Jones is back at left tackle with Fautanu at right tackle and Frazier starting at center. History tells us that isn’t as likely as we hope to start the season, though. How the team handles the offensive tackle situation will be fascinating to watch through training camp and preseason, that’s for sure.
