Pittsburgh Review

When the Steelers hired Andy Weidl from Philadelphia as their assistant general manager to Omar Khan, it was with the intention that he and his scouts would help the team quickly rebuild its offensive and defensive lines. This focus had been a priority for the Eagles during Weidl's tenure as vice president of player personnel in Philadelphia and has continued into the Steelers' first two drafts since his arrival.

The Steelers have selected five offensive linemen in the past two drafts, including using back-to-back first-round picks on tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu, and two defensive linemen, including emerging talent Keeanu Benton. A common trait among these players is a tough-guy mentality, which Weidl emphasized was intentional.

"I think we're heading in the right direction. You know, we're building it," Weidl said of the offensive line in particular. "You talk about physical, tough players, guys that fit art, their scheme, No. 1, being aligned with the coaches, guys that have explosive power, guys that have maturity to them. They love to compete. I think the guys we brought in, they all have that."

"They're athletic. They test so well. They have a certain mentality to them. And, you know, they provide range for our team, for offense, and the football maturity that they have. Really, I think this group is going to grow together, the guys we've gotten the last two years, and we're excited where they're going and the direction that they're heading."

Jones became a starter at right tackle last season and could move to left tackle this season once Fautanu returns from a sprained knee suffered in last week's preseason opener against the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, second-round pick Zach Frazier might start at center in Saturday night's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

Frazier took snaps with the first-team offense at center during Thursday's joint practice with the Bills while veteran Nate Herbig was sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

"We just know him really well. He's right in our backyard," Weidl said of West Virginia product Frazier. "We had a comfort level. We saw him play here two years ago against Pitt, and I remember at halftime (scout) Dan Colbert coming up to me saying do you see that center from West Virginia dumping guys on the ground? We both saw it; he was on our radar then."

"We saw him play against BYU; they had 200 yards rushing in the first half. He was just mowing guys down. Then just getting to know him through school visits—the makeup—he's got special football character to him."

"There were good centers throughout the draft but we felt he was one of the better ones and we were fortunate to get him where we did in the second round."

The Steelers also selected offensive linemen Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick over these past two drafts as well—giving them five young offensive linemen who are working and growing together. Both Anderson and McCormick are expected to be key backups in 2024.

In addition to their size and strength, all these players possess strong leadership skills—a factor Weidl said was deliberate.

"We talk about football character—football maturity—and these are guys who were captains who played a lot of football," Weidl said. "They love the game... If you want to be a physical tough team draft physical tough players... It's not like a big secret or magic formula."

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