The Pittsburgh Steelers' first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was Troy Fautanu out of the University of Washington. He has primarily played tackle with the Huskies, starting the last two seasons. However, he is praised for his versatility, filling in as a guard at times. It is that flexibility which Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said helped sell them on the First Team All-Pac 12 prospect.
The 6'4", 317-pound lineman has been called a bit small to play tackle in the NFL, saying he is better suited at guard. However, his very long arms, at 34.5", allow him to easily slow down defenders.
Fautanu's athletic gift impressed Tomlin, General Manager Omar Khan, and Offensive Line Coach Pat Meyer. After the selection, Tomlin and Khan spoke to the media. They said that despite his versatility, the organization intends to use him as a tackle and not as a center, another need for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh did their research on Fautanu, seeing him not only at his Pro Day, but also having him visit the Steel City for a top 30 visit. What they saw on tape, in person, and heard from him and the coaches sealed the decision to choose the young Samoan. According to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, Fautanu's impact on the Washington offense is impossible to dismiss.
"Mike Tomlin said that schematically, the way Washington designed plays let you know that the left tackle was a special player in their eyes, just by play selection. Not very often do you watch tape and see plays being called to highlight a guy that's not an eligible," posted DeFabo on X.
In his pre-draft assessments, Fautanu is described as a brawler, which is exactly the player Pittsburgh needs to line up opposite of Broderick Jones. He has solid speed for a lineman, running a 5.01 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. While he is sometimes beaten by length, he is tenacious with good hand and footwork. Fautanu is a student of the game with football smarts, who has been well-coached at Washington.
It will be interesting to see how the Steelers use Fautanu with Jones, who was moved to right tackle. While both Jones and Fautanu are naturally left tackles, they are also both versatile, something Khan said they wanted more of this season.
Steelers Breaking Up With Dan Moore?
The Steelers drafted Dan Moore in the fourth round in 2021. Since then, he has outplayed all expectations, starting nearly every game since then. However, he does not possess that versatility that Khan desires. He is also a natural left tackle, but wasn't quite capable to move to the right side, hence the reason Jones was moved.
Moore is entering the final year of his contract and most analysts believe the Steelers will let him go in free agency. The drafting of Fautanu seems to be the final nail in that coffin.
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