The Pittsburgh Steelers are wrapping up their 2024 pre-draft visits. The final week teams are permitted to host prospects, the team brought in a pair of offensive linemen Monday in Washington OT Troy Fautanu and South Dakota State OL Mason McCormick, per the PPG’s Brian Batko.
Fautanu’s visit was reported last week and confirmed earlier today. Still, he’s regarded as a top offensive tackle in the class and first-round pick who may not even be on the board by the time Pittsburgh selects at No. 20. Still, the Steelers have done plenty of homework on him, sending OL Coach Pat Meyer to his Pro Day and now officially bringing Fautanu in for a visit. While he’s shorter (6036) and older (24 years old in October), his experience, athleticism, and play strength are all positives that make him a likely Top-20 selection. While he’s short, he has the length to play offensive tackle with 34.5-inch arms.
Our scouting report praised Fautanu for his footwork and lateral quickness. However, to consistently succeed in pass protection, he will need to show an improved anchor against power and bull rushes.
McCormick is viewed as a later round candidate. He measured in at 6042, 309 pounds with 33 7/8-inch arms at the 2024 NFL Combine. There, he ran a 5.15 40-yard dash with an impressive 35.5-inch vertical, a top mark for an offensive lineman.
In our scouting report, Joe Clark praised McCormick for his physicality and leg drive and overall run blocking. But he noted improvement required in space and to be more aggressive in pass protection. Still, his experience is unparalleled with 70 career games, including 15 starts as a senior. He primarily played left guard throughout his career.
“Overall, I did like a lot of what I saw out of Mason McCormick, but despite his extensive collegiate experience, there are still areas for him to improve as he goes from the FCS to the NFL,” Clark concluded. “He’s definitely better as a run blocker than a pass blocker, but a lot of his flaws in pass pro are fixable. He’s likely best suited for an inside run scheme in the NFL.”
Pittsburgh doesn’t often draft from the FCS level, though they took South Dakota State QB Chris Oladokun in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. According to Mock Draft Database, McCormick is projected to be a fifth-round selection. Pittsburgh currently doesn’t own a fifth-round pick, holding a fourth-rounder and a pair of picks in the sixth round.
According to our pre-draft visit tracker, the Steelers have now had confirmed or reported visits with 29 non-local prospects. A handful, including Georgia OT Amarius Mims and Washington RB Dillon Johnson, don’t have confirmed dates for when the visits occurred (or if they’ll occur later this week).
