Troy Fautanu confirmed he lined up at right tackle, while Mason McCormick said he lined up at right guard at the Steelers' first day of rookie minicamp on the South Side Friday -- a departure for both who lined up on the left side of the offensive line during college.
"It's just sort of footwork, flipping the footwork. I was used to playing left (tackle) for so long but shoutout to my coach back in college, he did a really good job making sure that we were able to play both sides," Fautanu said following his first workout in a Steelers uniform.
Fautanu played left tackle for left-handed quarterback Michael Penix at Washington. Now playing right tackle for a stable of right-handed passers in the Steelers quarterback room, some think that might make the transition easier, but the first-round-pick Fautanu says that doesn't matter as much as one might think.
"Regardless of if the quarterback can see my rusher or not, I got to block the guy," Fautanu said. "That's my mindset whether or not I'm on the backside or the front side."
McCormick said moving to the right side of the line wasn't difficult for him.
"At South Dakota State, they prepared me for everything," McCormick said. "They wanted us to be as versatile as possible and I think that's something that can help all of us at this level."
As for lining up at right guard on his first day as a Steeler, McCormick said, "It was good. I'm ready to play whatever they want me to and I've prepped every position, so I'm ready to go."
Fautanu seemed to enjoy lining up next to McCormick.
"Oh man, he's a beast," Fautanu said. "I'm fortunate enough to have guys like that next to me and right now we're just trying to work on making sure that we can gel together, because you can't play O-line independently. It's a collective five out there and right now I'm just trying to make sure that I gain those guys' trust."
Zach Frazier requires no such position change--he'll play center for the Steelers like he did for his final three years at West Virginia. Friday offered the first glimpse of what Frazier can bring to the offensive line and that glimpse was promising. The team has struggled in its quest to find a stalwart center in the mold of Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson, and Maurkice Pouncey following Pouncey's retirement after the 2020 season.
Frazier is aware of the Steelers legends who played center before him.
"There's a long tradition, especially at center," Frazier said. "It puts a little bit of extra pressure on me but I'm just going to work as hard as I can and try to put my head down and just work."
The toughness Frazier displayed in the final game of his collegiate career already has some thinking he could be the next great center for the Steelers.
In West Virginia's final game of the 2023 season against Baylor, the Mountaineers trailed 31-27 with just over a minute remaining. Frazier went down with an injury, later revealed to be a broken fibula, on the Mountaineers' first play of the drive as they tried to mount a comeback. With no timeouts remaining, the team would have faced a 10-second runoff if Frazier had stayed down on the field. Instead, he dragged himself to the sideline, saving precious seconds for the Mountaineers. They would go on to win, 34-27.
Frazier's teammate at West Virginia, undrafted free agent cornerback Beanie Bishop was amazed by Frazier's fortitude in that moment.
"It was crazy to me," Bishop said. "It just shows what kind of player he is. Doesn't complain, doesn't whine and things like that. He just shows up to work every day."
It's tough to glean much from "football in shorts" as Mike Tomlin likes to say, but Frazier's power and strength stood out even in the most basic blocking drills on Friday morning.
Frazier, McCormick, and Fautanu along with second-year player Broderick Jones appear to be the future of the offensive line.
The three rookie offensive linemen seem to be getting along well so far, even showing up at practice together on Friday morning. They're all living in the same place right now and they rode to the South Side facility together in Frazier's truck, since Fautanu and McCormick don't have their vehicles in Pittsburgh yet. The three arriving together caught the eye of Arthur Smith.
"He said, 'damn, you guys are already sticking together,'" Fautanu said. "I'm like, I mean, there's no other way to do it. O-lines always stick with O-lines."
The value camaraderie can bring to an offensive line unit is not lost on any of the young linemen.
"Offensive line, you can't play good unless the guy next to you is playing good. Being able to be around these guys and develop that relationship I think is super important," McCormick said.
"I feel like offensive line, it's a brotherhood," Frazier added. "We're going to be great friends, I can already tell."
Frazier's enjoying the present and looking forward to the future with Fautanu and McCormick.
"Both great guys and I really just can't wait to get to work with them," Frazier said. "And hopefully be together for a long time."
