Left or right, Mike Tomlin isn’t commenting yet. But the overall position is clear. In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ post-pick press conference following the selection of Washington’s Troy Fautanu, the Steelers said Fautanu is being viewed as a tackle. Not an interior candidate.
“We legitimately see him as a tackle,” Tomlin told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel.
Tomlin said there might be more clarity on his side, playing left or right, tomorrow.
“Right now he’s a tackle. Maybe we’ll have a little bit more detail for you in the morning.”
But he was dismissive of pushing him inside to center, where the Steelers have a need.
“No, we’re not concerned about that,” Tomlin said when asked if Fautanu could play center. “We legitimately see him as a tackle.”
Due to a lack of height, many speculated that Fautanu would play inside. NFL analysts like Dane Brugler and Daniel Jeremiah believe he potentially has five-position flexibility to play guard or center. Most of Fautanu’s starts came at left tackle though he played some left guard throughout his Huskies career.
Earlier in the offseason, GM Omar Khan indicated that the team’s goal was to eventually move last year’s first-round pick Broderick Jones over to right tackle. But Khan’s comments indicated there was no guarantee it’d happen this season. Of course, this came prior to the Fautanu pick, which now gives the Steelers options at tackle. Now, they have a decision to make. They can move Jones to the left side and plug in Fautanu – who hasn’t played right tackle – on the right side. Or they can keep Fautanu on the left and let him compete with OT Dan Moore Jr. The Steelers might have a plan but right now, they’re not telling.
