PITTSBURGH — If the Steelers were looking for a narrative, some fairytale story that had heads spinning and tears flowing on the other side of the country, they certainly got one by selecting tackle Troy Fautanu out of Washington with the No. 20 overall pick late Thursday night.

Not only has Fautanu, throughout the leadup to the NFL draft, spoken passionately about his Polynesian ancestry, his parents hailing from American Samoa, but his favorite player as a kid was a familiar one.

This Troy wore that Troy's No. 43, obsessing over the Steelers, their history and winning tradition.

"I know a lot about the team and its history," Fautanu said. "I'm super excited to finally get this over with. It couldn't be any better that it was with the team that I grew up loving."

Perhaps the Fautanu pick will become a movie or "30 for 30" special one day, but that's obviously not now. It also won't matter if the pick flops.

However, general manager Omar Khan said he could've moved up or down. There were also myriad options when they were on the clock. But the Steelers clearly coveted Fautanu the same way he has long valued them.

"We weren't moving off Troy," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

It makes sense given where the Steelers find themselves in the team-building cycle and also how Khan and vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl have gone about building their team: through the offensive line.

Last year, it was Broderick Jones in the first round. This year, the other side of the line, though Tomlin insisted a decision has not been made on which side Fautanu will play.

The Steelers are also looking at a Day 2 scenario of the draft where at least one of their picks will be dedicated to a center and someone to grow with Fautanu.

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