The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to signal their intention to prioritize the offensive line during next week’s draft, hosting Washington’s Troy Fautanu and South Dakota State’s Mason McCormick for official pre-draft visits Monday.
Fautanu was a two-year college starter at left tackle but also has experience at guard, a position some analysts believe he could better excel at in the NFL. Considered a powerful blocker who plays with tenacity, the 6-foot-4, 317-pound Fautanu is projected as a mid-to-late first-round pick.
OT Troy Fautanu
— Rayane M (@RayaneScout) April 15, 2024
Washington's explosive OT has a lot to live up to with the hype surrounding him. As solid on the Pass pro as he is on the Run Block, Fautanu is a promising player. If he's interesting as an OT, I see him developing much more as an IOL.
2nd round value???? pic.twitter.com/R68G3EWWbT
The Steelers hold the No. 20 selection and have brought in most of the tackles projected to go in that range. Starting left tackle Dan Moore is in the final year of his contract, and the team is vetting options as a future long-term complement to last year’s first-round tackle, Broderick Jones.
McCormick (6-4, 309) started 57 consecutive games for FBS powerhouse South Dakota State. A three-year captain of teams that twice won the national championship, McCormick twice was named an FCS All-American. The mock draft compilation website nflmockdraftdatabase.com has a consensus projection for McCormick as a fifth-round pick.
Posted this yesterday. This was a fun matchup where he ended up going against Mason McCormick quite a bit. Both guys should go in that top half of Day 3 at the latest. https://t.co/ShhxaHODEH pic.twitter.com/Xso07XxnFb
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) April 12, 2024
Teams are allotted 30 pre-draft visits for prospects, excluding those with local ties. The Steelers are expected to wrap up their visits this week.
