The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Washington OT Troy Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, a player they didn’t expect to be around at No. 20 overall. Fautanu is a player NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein said will bring the old-school toughness back to Pittsburgh, and Fautanu described his mentality and how he wants to smack guys in the mouth.
“Just the mentality I play with,” Fautanu answered when asked one thing he’s excited for Steelers fans to get to know about him, via the team’s YouTube channel. “I think that’s one thing that of course I was taught, but I think that I’ve always had. Just the want to go hit somebody in the mouth. And that’s something either you have or you don’t.”
He said that mentality came from being the biggest kid on the field playing running back when he was younger and just wanting to run everybody over. It’s something he was able to bring over as an offensive lineman.
That’s the sort of answer you want to hear from your first-round offensive lineman, and Fautanu is someone who can be a brawler and really bring a level of toughness and nastiness to the Steelers’ offensive line. The Steelers have emphasized rebuilding the trenches, signing James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo in recent offseasons and the team also selected Broderick Jones in the first round in the 2023 draft. Drafting Fautanu signaled the first time that the Steelers took an offensive lineman in back-to-back drafts in the first round, and it’s a sign that the Steelers are serious about building their offensive line into one of the league’s top units.
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has a history of building a strong run game behind a tough, athletic offensive line, and by drafting Fautanu, the Steelers are adding someone with the right mentality and mindset to play on the line. He’s going to slot in as a tackle, and long-term he and Jones should form a formidable offensive tackle duo regardless of what side they’re playing.
With a backfield that features Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, the Steelers are going to want to lean on the run and be a ground-and-pound team under Smith, and they’re also protecting their quarterbacks. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were among the most-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two seasons, and the Steelers want to prevent whichever one of them starts from being at the top of the league again. By adding a physical tackle in Fautanu, the Steelers are making sure that their quarterback is protected and there’s going to be room to make something happen on the ground.
The NFL draft continues tonight with Rounds 2 and 3, but the Steelers took care of a major need by bringing in Fautanu. His want to go hit somebody in the mouth and be physical should play very well in the AFC North.
