When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted guard Alan Faneca 26th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University, then-Director of Football Operations Tom Donahue figured he would be grabbing a starting guard for the next decade.
Donahue figured right, drafting a future Hall of Famer in Faneca, pairing him next to an aging future Hall of Fame center in Dermontti Dawson, setting Faneca up ton a career trajectory that would put him in the halls of Canton, while getting a crash course on being a pro next to Dawson.
While lined up next to Dawson for two seasons, Faneca learned the pro game quickly and took one key thing away from Dawson’s game: watching him pull as a center.