During Troy Polamalu’s Hall of Fame induction speech, he mentioned how the only approval that a player for the Pittsburgh Steelers should seek, is approval from previous legends who have played for the team.
“If you earned their respect, they’ll say, ‘You could’ve played with us,'” Polamalu said.
Former CB Ike Taylor seems to be signing off on some of the newest members of the team in a big way.
“Steelers are built different, and the first two picks we just talked about, hands down, official Steelers,” Taylor said via the Bleav In Steelers podcast posted on Apple Podcasts. “The first two guys that we addressed between Troy [Fautanu] and Zach [Frazier], they certified, certified, certified Steelers.”
The Steelers have received pretty universally high marks from analysts for their draft class in general, but specifically the top two picks have been viewed as home runs. They were the perfect intersection of value and need.
“Usually, you get guys at that position, best available. But when you can get the best available guy that you wanted, that’s rare,” Taylor said.
GM Omar Khan himself said that Fautanu was the highest-rated player on the Steelers’ board regardless of position at pick No. 20. He also said that they considered trading up for Frazier and didn’t think he would be there at pick No. 51.
On an episode of this podcast prior to the draft, Taylor offered his thoughts on several of the top offensive linemen and spoke highly of both Fautanu and Frazier. He expanded on those thoughts now that the draft is done and both of them are on the Steelers’ roster.
“His temperament, the fact that he’s always been a Steeler…it just all fell in line. We loved Troy, Troy loved us, so I can only imagine the impact he’s going to have on being a Steelers,” Taylor said. “Broderick [Jones] last year in the first round, he’s a polar bear. And what I mean by polar bear is big guys who are agile and who move, but they also have controlled temperaments. So to get another polar bear, Troy, this year. It’s hard finding two polar bears back to back.”
The Steelers were able to marry positional needs with the best players available and they were able to do it while finding a guy who fits the Steelers’ brand. On tape, Fautanu is constantly looking for extra work, has a competitive edge to his game, and has a nasty streak that often manifests itself in the form of a pancake block.
The praise didn’t stop when it came to Frazier, either.
“It’s gotta be one of my favorite picks,” Taylor said. “Zach been a Steeler since Day 1. Zach been a Steelers since he won four wrestling championships…Zach been a Steeler since he broke his leg and he tried [to crawl] off because he didn’t want to cost the team a timeout. Zach is a Steeler because his temperament on the field and how smart and how high football IQ he is.”
Frazier’s former position coach at West Virginia spoke very highly of the three-time team captain after the draft, talking about how he helped turn the program around. Once again, the Steelers found a way to fill a need with the best player available, and they found a guy with the hearts and smarts that the organization covets.
Beyond just his personality traits and intangibles, Frazier’s wrestling background gives him a unique understanding of leverage, body control, and the athleticism that comes with the rigors of preparing for that particular sport. His play strength stands out, which is a combination of raw strength, evidenced by 30 reps on the bench press, and his understanding of how to properly use it. Oh, and he was the single most experienced center coming out of the draft this year, a huge plus for a team with an immediate need.
The Steelers are betting on getting big and physical on offense while the rest of the league is trending toward three-receiver sets and speed. Both of their top two picks reflect this philosophy. Mike Tomlin told ESPN after the draft that the Steelers just want to “roll” people. Both of these first two picks will help them accomplish that goal.
They will also help round out the leadership core, both on the offensive line and the offense in general – something that was sorely missing on the team in 2023.
While it is far too early to receive the “you could’ve played with us” praise that Troy Polamalu spoke about in his Hall of Fame speech, Taylor sure seems to think Fautanu and Frazier will get there.
