Do you Remember when Baltimore’s Haloti Ngata broke Ben Roethlisberger’s nose in Pittsburgh’s come-from-behind win over the Ravens in 2010?

Troy Fautanu remembers it. In fact, that play is one of the reasons why he became a Steelers fan in the first place.

“The grit that the team plays with, I grew up a really big fan of Ben Roethlisberger. That is what I always saw him do,” Pittsburgh’s first-round draft choice said Friday. “He is out there commanding the team and commanding that offense.

“I always thought he was one of the toughest guys I have ever seen play. He would get hit and get right back up. That inspired me to play the way that I do.”

Fautanu’s toughness is one the things that attracted the Steelers to him.

How tough is the former Washington Husky?

Tough enough that the defensive linemen in the PAC-12 voted him the Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2023.

“Troy had a great career at Washington,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said. “They went all the way to the championship game this past season and he established himself as one of the top linemen in the country and we are excited to make him a Steeler.”

As Rooney described, Fautanu’s toughness helped Washington get to 14-0 in 2023 before falling to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. He helped the Washington offense average 462.1 yards and 36 points per game last fall.

With Fautanu leading the way, the Huskies had 28 rushing touchdowns, while allowing just 12 sacks all season. Washington ranked second nationally throwing the football, averaging 343.7 yards per game.

“I would say that he was a player that we had rated really high up on the board,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said. “He was one of the guys that we were hoping would be there and that we were targeting. When he was, we were on the clock. We were at nineteen and waiting to see what the Rams picked, and we just felt really good about it. He’s the player we wanted.”

Fautanu said he has already received calls from Dan Moore Jr. and Russell Wilson, welcoming him to the team.

“It is crazy to me still,” he said. “I am just really excited to learn from those guys because a lot of those guys have been around the league for a really long time. I am just trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can.”

As for what Steelers fans should know about Fautanu, he can’t wait to show them how he plays the game.

“I have always had the want to, to go hit somebody in the mouth. That is something you either have or you don’t,” he said. “I feel like that is something I have always played with. Even growing up, when I was running the rock and had the ball in my hands, I was trying to run everybody over. I was the big kid playing and that is where I got it from.”

That and watching Roethlisberger come back into a game and lead the Steelers to victory after having his nose broken in three places.