Buy Or Sell: The Pittsburgh Steelers made the right call not trading back and selecting T Troy Fautanu.
Explanation: As with their 32nd-overall selection in 2023, the Steelers reportedly had ample opportunity to trade back in the first round. But they refused to trade away from CB Joey Porter Jr. last year, and they refused to trade away from Troy Fautanu this year. Pittsburgh likely adds a Day-4 selection by trading back a few spots off 20.
Buy:
There’s no debate here. Troy Fautanu was the last of the top tier of tackles, so they couldn’t afford to trade away from him. If the Steelers didn’t draft Fautanu at 20, another team was about to immediately after. We saw the most trade action in the 20s and somebody likely jumps up to get him.
The Steelers aid their phones were ringing off the hook at 20, in fact. Likely at least one team phoning them up wanted to take Fautanu. Sure, they could have gotten a great prospect at another position. But Fautanu is the most important player they could have drafted.
He was quite possibly the best player available, and he came at a premium position of need. There’s just not a conversation about this being the right move in the moment. We’ll see what hindsight says, but the Steelers put the right name on the card as we sit here today.
Sell:
It’s true that Fautanu was the last of the top tier of tackles, but the top tier of other positions were there for the taking. Notably, they could have moved back five spots, in theory, and drafted Graham Barton, the top center. Did I mention that the Steelers don’t currently have a starting center? At least at tackle they have Dan Moore Jr.
The Steelers could have drafted CB Quinyon Mitchell or WR Brian Thomas Jr. at 20. Or they could have moved back several spots and still gotten CB Terrion Arnold or CB Nate Wiggins. The end of the first round also prefigures a coming run on the wide receiver position, which is a big deal.
The Steelers opened a glaring hole by trading Diontae Johnson. They figured they could easily address that in the draft, but a run on wide receivers in the top half of the second round is inevitable. Whatever type of quality they thought they’d find will be less than they hoped for whenever they take one. Had they taken Thomas, or traded back to add another pick, they would have been in better shape to move on.
Meanwhile, Fautanu reportedly comes with some concerns about his long-term durability. That’s not what you want to hear about an offensive lineman. That’s the reason he lasted until 20th overall, most likely.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL Draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
