For the second time in as many drafts, Omar Khan is building up the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line. Last year, it was Georgia OT Broderick Jones. This year, it was Washington OL Troy Fautanu. And with that, he made some franchise history.
Tonight marks the first time in franchise history Pittsburgh has drafted an offensive lineman in the first round of back-to-back drafts. And the Steelers have been drafting for a long time. Since the literal first NFL draft that took place in 1936 when they selected Notre Dame’s William Shakespeare third overall.
Under Khan, assistant GM Andy Weidl and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the Steelers have made their philosophy clear: Build through the trenches and invest heavily in the offensive line. Pittsburgh has had several iterations of their offensive line since the “old guard” broke up, Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert, but they’re finally putting together a group who looks like they can thrive. James Daniels was signed ahead of 2022, Isaac Seumalo ahead of 2023, Jones drafted last year, and now Troy Fautanu enters the fold. It doesn’t mean things are perfect or the team is done but there’s been a concerted effort to be stronger, literally and figuratively, up front.
Even though Pittsburgh made moves to improve their passing game by overhauling their quarterback room, their running game remains the offense’s foundation. They win when they run effectively and efficiently behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. But that requires an offensive line that can get the job done.
For the Steelers, they’ve come close to drafting linemen first in consecutive classes. Pittsburgh rebuilt their line in the early 2010s with Florida’s Maurkice Pouncey in 2010 and Stanford’s David DeCastro in 2012, excellent moves that paid off in big ways. Linemen were separated by one class in 1996 and 1998, the Steelers grabbing North Carolina A&T’s Jamain Stephens first followed by LSU’s Alan Faneca. One worked out much better than the rest; I think you can figure out which is which.
Pittsburgh is getting back to basics. It’s what the Steelers said they wanted to do, Mike Tomlin building through their bigs under Smith, himself a former offensive lineman hired because of his run-game roots.
“His values are very evident,” Tomlin said last month of why he hired Smith. “Looking at his tape, they are aligned with things that we value – controlling the game through our bigs and building from there.”
But actions speak louder than words. Pittsburgh has talked the talk about developing up front for years. During the last two drafts, they’ve walked the walk. Or more appropriately for the offensive line, blocking the block.
