Steelers Land Washington OT Troy Fautanu in New Mock Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers have several options for tackle at the 20th overall pick as it stands here before free agency, and with the deep class, it would seem likely that the team dips into that depth. However, one recent name from that conversation is Washington’s Troy Fautanu.

Fautanu is the group sleeper not discussed nearly enough before the NFL Combine. And in CBS Sports’ new mock draft, they have the team landing Fautanu.

“I’ve seen Pittsburgh take Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson here a lot, and that’s certainly possible. However, this class is much deeper at center than most realized, which was evident at the combine. So, in this mock, I have the Steelers addressing the tackle position and possibly using their second-rounder on a center. Oh, and they’ve also signed Russell Wilson. Maybe,” they wrote.

Fautanu measured with 34 1/2-inch arms at the NFL Combine. The Steelers under Andy Weidl and Omar Khan have strategically put the cut off line around that mark. Fautanu checks the box, which puts him in the mix at 20th overall. Add on a 1.71 10-yard split and an impressive set of position drills, and this needs to be at least thought of significantly.

Daniel Jeremiah mocked Fautanu to the Steelers weeks ago. While Fautanu did play mostly left tackle with the Huskies, Jeremiah seems to think that his best NFL fit is at guard as well, suggesting that he could play next to Steelers 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones on the offensive line.

“Fautanu fits the physical identity the Steelers are looking to create,” Jeremiah wrote. “He can play anywhere on the line, but it would be fun to watch him line up next to 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones.”

The un-addressed problem with that scenario is that the Steelers have all three of their top guards from 2023 under contract for the 2024 season. So how would Fautanu slot into a starting lineup beside Jones?

One way would be for starting right tackle James Daniels to move to center to replace Mason Cole. Though Daniels has not played a single snap of center in his two seasons with the Steelers, he did take about 500 snaps there with the Chicago Bears back in 2019. It’s unclear if Daniels would even be interested in such a move. But if Fautanu can become a tackle, there will no questions to answer. He simply can stick it out, and his movement skills are an excellent fit in Arthur Smith’s scheme.