The Pittsburgh Steelers invested heavy in their offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the team making three selections in offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, center Zach Frazier and guard Mason McCormick.
All three rookies played in preseason Week 1, but none of them started. Fautanu, who came down with a minor knee injury, was the first one to enter the game, playing at right tackle.
While Fautanu looked strong in the run game (66.3 grade), he had some issues in pass protection over his 25 total snaps. He surrendered two pressures and a sack, per Pro Football Focus, and he posted a pass-blocking grade of 53.9.
The Houston Texans notched two sacks off the right side of the Steelers' line while Fautanu was in the game, but PFF is only crediting him as responsible for one. It isn't clear when he suffered his knee injury, but it's possible it hampered him.
Another player responsible for giving up a sack, per PFF, was McCormick, who gave up two pressures in total for a pass-blocking grade of 58.2. The South Dakota product wasn't any better in the run game, notching a grade of 48.4 in his 33 snaps.
Last but not least, we have Frazier, who had the best and most consistent showing of the three while playing the most snaps (39).
The West Virginia product had the second-best run-blocking grade of all offensive linemen with a 72.2. He also tallied an impressive grade of 73.0 in pass pro and managed to stay clean with no sacks or pressures allowed.
Frazier and Fautanu are both vying for a starting job in their first season, but the latter's chances are going to take a big hit if he misses time with his injury. Meanwhile, Frazier greatly helped his cause in preseason Week 1.
