PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu is set to play right tackle during his rookie season, general manager Omar Khan and Fautanu confirmed on Thursday. Fautanu expects to start at right tackle during training camp, while Khan believes that Fautanu is growing at that spot.
“I would say that’s true,” Khan said about Fautanu playing right tackle on 93.7 the Fan.
Offensive line coach Pat Meyer said on Tuesday that he had discussed playing both sides with Troy Fautanu before the team even selected him in the first round, and Fautanu felt more comfortable playing the right side than the left side, which is something that is an eye-opening nugget.
I don’t think it’s been as hard for him to change and do that as it would be for other guys,” Meyer said. “To be honest with you, when I talked to the kid in the draft room, he said he felt better on the right than the left. Playing on the left was more of a college thing for him at Washington. But it was not an issue for him at all.”
Fautanu believes that he has grown since his first day at OTAs. When he stated he had a ‘rough’ practice, he referred back to the game’s speed more than anything else. He had to second-guess everything he did since he was still learning the playbook inside and out, but now he feels ready to go at the end of the minicamp.
“Every day I come out here, I come out with the goal of being better than I was yesterday,” Fautanu said. “On the first day, I had to second guess everything, I wasn’t sure of myself. The biggest thing that coach Isaac Williams tells me is to play fast. That’s what they loved about my tape. You know, I can get out in space in a way that few guys can. So, I feel much better now.”
So, the plan seems to be sticking Fautanu at right tackle, Dan Moore patrolling at left tackle, and Broderick Jones flipping between both. It remains to be seen who will start Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, but it seems Fautanu will be given a chance to start on the right side.