Pittsburgh Steelers Set to Spend $46M on Troy Fautanu and Co. From 2024 NFL Draft Class, Here’s Everything You Need to Know

They’re going big. Like seismic, franchise-altering big. The Pittsburgh Steelers are primed to drop a $46 million bag on their 2024 NFL Draft class, an earth-shaking investment that signals a tectonic shift in their team-building philosophy.

This draft class is stacked. GM Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin are playing multidimensional chess, assembling the type of nasty O-line and skill group that could propel Pittsburgh back to Super Bowl glory after 2009.

Steelers double down on O-Line rebuild at the NFL Draft

The numbers don’t lie: Troy Fautanu’s massive $15 million contract is just the start of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ $46 million spending spree to fortify their offensive line. Mike Tomlin made it crystal clear, stating bluntly during the post-draft conference, “We’re looking for mature players with talent…that we should expect to have a high floor early on.” The message is clear: protect Russell Wilson at all costs.

But why such a seismic investment? Just look at the lineup Khan assembled. Zach Frazier, the wrestling protégé out of West Virginia, has the grit and technique to man the pivot. As offensive coordinator Arthur Smith gushed, “It’s rare you find a guy with that kind of pedigree…the amount of snaps he has. We couldn’t be more fired up.” Road grader Mason McCormick was equally lauded for his physical, nasty demeanor forged at the FCS powerhouse South Dakota State.

This wasn’t just about collecting talented individuals, though. Coach Tomlin demanded a cohesive group with the intangibles to raise the offensive line’s collective floor from Day 1. As he bluntly put it during an interview with The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “We don’t live in our fears. We live in our hopes.”. The bar has been set—accept nothing less than being graded out as winners.

Russell Wilson is all set with the 7-man draft class!

This 7-man draft class doubled as an outright skill position overhaul to maximize veteran QB Russell Wilson’s championship window. The centerpiece is blazing wideout Roman Wilson, whose 4.33 40-yard dash wowed scouts with his downfield prowess. Joining him is fellow athletic freak Payton Wilson, a rangy linebacker built to patrol the middle and vaporize running backs in Tomlin’s RPO-heavy attack.

But you can’t spell “nasty” without drafting some guys to set that physical tone. That’s where maulers like wrestling technician Zach Frazier and road-grader Mason McCormick from FCS powerhouse South Dakota State come in.

On the other side of the trenches, the Steelers doubled up on beef and motors with defensive tackle Logan Lee and edge shooter Ryan Watts. These two could instantly fortify a depleted front and create chaos for opposing offenses.

But perhaps the biggest get was the absolute freak in Troy Fautanu. The behemoth tackle has everything you want in a blind-side protector: size, length, athleticism, and a mean streak. From game-wrecking talents to grimy road graders, this draft haul addressed every need to construct an offensive juggernaut around Wilson.