NFL insider proves the Steelers were willing to do whatever it took to address key weaknesses during the draft

Despite the NFL’s trend of throwing the ball over the yard, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going back to the future. 

Aiming to get ahead of the curve in a cyclical league, Pittsburgh left the draft with three of their first five picks along the offensive line. 

And according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, that was always a part of the plan:

Steelers let the board come to them 

Pittsburgh was so dedicated to offensive linemen -- drafting three of them in their first five picks for the first time since 1976 -- that it had set a blueprint for its first two picks. The Steelers thought Troy Fautanu could go as high as No. 10 to the Jets and didn't expect him to fall. GM Omar Khan worked the phones just in case, before Fautanu fell to the Steelers at No. 20. Georgia tackle Amarius Mims, who went to Cincinnati at No. 18, was firmly on Pittsburgh's radar, too. Toward the end of the first round, Pittsburgh had identified West Virginia center Zach Frazier as a viable option at No. 51 and did some recon work to figure out whether he would be available at the pick. Frazier was largely considered an early Day 2 pick. 

-Jeremy Fowler, ESPN

Sources told A to Z sports that Mims was always the team’s target at 20th overall. Not only were they pleasantly surprised by Fautanu’s fall to them, they were extremely nervous. 

GM Omar Khan even said every minute that went by felt like the longest of his life as he hoped Fautanu would still be there. Knowing that wasn’t a given, he even tried to trade up as Fowler stated.

In the end it didn’t matter though as Pittsburgh drafted their tackle, center and maybe even guard of the future with Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick coming after the Fautanu selection. Khan and Pittsburgh proved that patience payed off, with their play on the field being the final determinant.