Mark Madden: Steelers got their guy in the 1st round but are still stuck in mushy middle

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a player they wanted in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, selecting Washington tackle Troy Fautanu.

Good pick? Bad pick? Who knows?

Franchise-changing pick? Not this year and not likely. The Steelers need a four- or five-win season if they want to draft that kind of player. They’re stuck in finish middle, draft middle, stay middle. The mushy middle.

Some think Fautanu (6-foot-4, 317 pounds) is a bit light to play tackle. But that’s where the Steelers will use him. They already have two legit guards.

Whether Fautanu plays right or left tackle (with Broderick Jones at the opposite) is up for grabs and will be determined at training camp. Either way, that offensive line has two solid bookends.

Fautanu is a real quality get, about as good as the Steelers could have expected at No. 20 overall.

I was rooting for them to draft cornerback Quinyon Mitchell of Toledo with that pick, or any defensive player. Because the fallout would have been fun. More investment in a defense that’s the NFL’s highest-paid but still isn’t elite. (Also, Quinyon reminds me of Funyuns.)

No defensive players were picked among the first 14 choices, probably because the NFL has made it illegal to play defense.

It was an interesting first round.

Atlanta got Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth choice. The Falcons recently signed QB Kirk Cousins, 35, to a contract that guarantees $100 million. Cousins is said to be “stunned” by the selection of Penix. But Cousins has made $294 million playing pro football and has one playoff win. That’s also a bit stunning. Cousins has no gripe about anything.

Denver selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12. Nix, 24, looks old and roughed up, like Scott Bakula’s character in “Necessary Roughness.” A guy that age should be plug-and-play, just like Kenny Pickett. Uh, wait…

Kansas City traded up with Buffalo to take the fastest player in the draft at No. 28, Texas wideout Xavier Worthy. Worthy ran a 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the world record for the Underwear Olympics. Did the Bills hand Patrick Mahomes the next Tyreek Hill? Probably not, but it’s like Buffalo doesn’t realize it very likely has to beat the Chiefs to someday get to a Super Bowl.

Everybody at the draft dressed nice. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hugged a lot. Mel Kiper Jr. is deep into self-parody.

So the Steelers got their guy. As (ahem) predicted by me on Wednesday’s radio program.

But it doesn’t raise the Steelers’ ceiling for 2024. Nor will whatever they do in this draft’s remaining days.

The Steelers are a nine-win team, maybe 10, and aren’t close to beating a good quarterback in a playoff game. (You know the names.)

The Steelers really do need a four- or five-win season, preferably several. You would hate it, and Coach T’s record of never having a losing season would vanish, but the Steelers need to get impact players, not least their long-term quarterback. (It’s not Justin Fields.)

The Steelers made a grievous error in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger popped his elbow in that season’s second game.

Instead of tanking and perhaps finishing low enough to draft a franchise QB like Justin Herbert, the Steelers traded their first-round pick to Miami for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and scratched their way to 8-8. That preserved Coach T’s record but otherwise hurt more than helped.

Sure, Fitzpatrick has made first-team All-Pro three times. How many playoff games has he won?

At any rate, Fautanu is an outstanding run blocker with top-end athleticism and the right attitude. I cribbed that directly from an online scouting report. I’ve never seen Fautanu play, nor have most who cover the Steelers, but it’s the time of year to pretend.

So I like the pick.

Fautanu says he was “born to be a Steeler.” Maybe he hangs out with Bon Jovi. Or Steppenwolf.

Coach T said Fautanu’s “tape was really impressive.” Considering the Steelers drafted him in the first round, that’s not surprising. I wish Tomlin had said “his tape was crap, but we took him anyway.”