Steelers Vision Comes to Life in NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers had clear goals for their rebuild and their 2024 draft class has met those goals.

Sep 17, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers offensive lineman Zach / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl laid out a vision for the team he was helping to rebuild and reimagine following the first round of 2023 NFL Draft. To move forward, the Steelers need to rediscover a part of their frachise's identity.

“We want to be big. We want to be physical. We want to be tough. We want to be able to impose our will on teams. That’s the Pittsburgh Steelers, right?” Weidl said. “That’s what they’ve been in the past, and we want to continue that identity.”

That identity had wanned in the years prior to Weidl's arrival and was a large part of the reason why he was picked to join the Steelers' front office. His work building the Philadelphia Eagles' all-world offensive line was something Pittsburgh wanted and needed to emulate and the decision to hire Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator reflected that desire as well. Pittsburgh needed someone to form the vision and another to form the on-field plan. Check and check.

The final step is adding players who can execute the vision of management and by picking three offensive linemen with their four first and second round picks from the past two drafts, the Steelers are finally ready to bring it all together. Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier - all selections from Days 1 and 2 of their respective drafts and probably starters in 2024 - will be the ones who have to lead that charge. Management has finally made the investment in the offensive line that has been so desperately needed and it fits right into the scheme Smith is dvising.

Think back to Smith's tenure with the Titans, where his career really took off. Behind 247-pound Derrick Henry, 226-pound AJ Brown, 209-pound Corey Davis and an offensive line that averaged greater than 314 pounds across the board, the Titans bullied their way into the top four of scoring offenses in the NFL during the 2020 season. Tennessee was the second most prolific and efficient rushing offense in all of professional football and they complimented it with an aggressive downfield passing offense that ranked among the top 10 in the NFL.

Why can't the Steelers recreate that success with Smith at the helm and an imposing offensive line - which has now been bolstered by a pair of nasty, tough run blockers in Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu - in front of two physical runners in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren while new starting quarterback Russell Wilson unleashes play-action passes to contested catch specialist George Pickens? Its classic Steelers football and its on the way back.

"There's a certain style of play and intent we want that fits this team and the history here, the Steelers, and the brand of football and that shared vision. But you know, every team I've been on, I mean, you wanna win the line of scrimmage," Smith said after the Steelers drafted Fautanu and Frazier. "You try to play to the strengths of your team but you certainly, if you want to have a physical team and play with an edge, you need those guys up front."

The Steelers are turning back the clock as they try to move the franchise forward - out of a rut that includes zero playoff wins over the past seven seasons. Who better to push them forward than three keystone offensive linemen - a pair of bookend, first-round tackles and a mauling, tough center? Years of wandering in the woods, looking for an offensive line that can live up to the toughness trademarked by Steelers teams of the past. They did it to a certain extent down the stretch of 2023 season, but now is the right time to lean fully into a throwback mentality.

Make no mistake, the Steelers still have plenty of work left to do, even after making four of seven picks in the NFL Draft. They are not a perfect team, even on paper, and all of those pieces still have to come together on the field before victory can be declared in the 2024 Draft. But the Steelers' process has been sound and their offseason moves have all trended towards a common goal - founding the next big winner around physicality and a familiar style that recalls the glory days of this franchise.

The Steelers sent a message with their first pick of the 2024 draft in Fautanu, taking a blocker with a deep love and understanding of what made this franchise great in its hey day. They are injecting more than just toughness but power to a team that had been missing its edge and it could be the path back to the summit.

"It all started with Troy Polamalu. I was a big Troy Polamalu fan," Fautanu said. "Kind of watching him, and you get to see what the Steelers are all about, how they play football, what the brand of football is. ... I kind of took that and put it into my own game. What I think of when I think of the Steelers, I think of gritty. I think of working in the trenches, stuff you don't see. I take it personally because it's part of my job."

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