For those wondering if Troy Fautanu can play right tackle, the answer is seemingly yes.
In his introductory press conference, Fautanu was asked by reporters if he had experience and was comfortable playing on the right side of the line.
“Yeah, I’ve pretty much played every position in college,” Fautanu said. “I played the left side mainly in games, but our coach did a really good job in cross training us and making sure we were ready for any opportunity that presented itself to us. Yeah, I’m comfortable anywhere man, I’m just ready to contribute.”
Ever since drafting Fautanu, it seems the lion’s share of the questions asked have circled around where he will fit on the offensive line.
With Broderick Jones logging 11 games last season at starting right tackle, it seems he would be an easy fit on the right side with Fautanu on the left. However, Jones, like Fautanu, played the majority of his college ball as a left tackle, even stating that he is more comfortable at the position. This has led to reports of Jones potentially making a switch back to left tackle with Steelers GM Omar Khan even saying Jones will “eventually” move back there at the NFL Combine Scouting.
Fautanu is not exactly battle-tested at right tackle either, logging just two snaps at the position throughout his college career. Still, according to the man himself, he feels comfortable at right tackle thanks to his college training. Even though he primarily played left tackle in games, clearly he’s still comfortable due to his work in practice. While the answer was in regard to teaching non-centers how to play center — something the Steelers likely aren’t going to ask Fautanu to do — Mike Tomlin talked about judging players’ versatility based on positions they can play in practice.
Fautanu’s offensive line coach at the University of Washington, Scott Huff, was regarded as one of the premier OL coaches in the college game. He recently made the move to the Seattle Seahawks, joining offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who also made the move from UW to the Seahawks.
Fautanu was not asked about the interior offensive line, a spot where several draft analysts projected him to play. This is most likely due to the pointed approach by head coach Mike Tomlin in his press conference stating that Fautanu will play tackle.
The jury is still out on whether Fautanu and Jones will be on the left or right side of the offensive line, but one thing seems certain: the Steelers now have their tackle tandem of the future.
