The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Washington OL Troy Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the No. overall selection, and Fautanu fell a little bit in the draft due to injury concerns. On the NFL Network broadcast of the Draft, NFL insider Ian Rapoport said that the team was comfortable with his medical history, which includes an ACL injury and a Lisfranc injury.
“You wonder how a talented player lasts this long. There were certainly some injury concerns, first of all, the Steelers are good with the injuries,” Rapoport said. “First of all, a previous ACL injury, some wear and tear potentially, down the road could need another injury there. Had a previous Lisfranc sprain, the foot is a little stiff, stable but stiff, that’s how a talented player lasts this long.”
In a press conference after the selection, Omar Khan said that the Steelers wouldn’t have selected Fautanu if they weren’t comfortable with his injury history.
“We wouldn’t select him if we weren’t comfortable with it, and I can’t speak for some of the stuff that’s put out there and what’s true and what’s not and what other people are saying. But we’re comfortable.”
Obviously, a Lisfranc injury and an ACL injury aren’t ideal for any player, especially not an offensive lineman, but the Steelers had Fautanu in for a pre-draft visit and the team likely felt comfortable enough with what it saw in the medicals to make him its first pick of the draft. Fautanu wasn’t widely expected to be on the board at No. 20, but he found himself available to the Steelers with six quarterbacks going off the board in the first 12 picks of the draft.
Fautanu is a five-position player who can play offensive tackle, guard or center for the Steelers. The team doesn’t need a guard right now though, and Fautanu will play tackle, according to Mike Tomlin after the team made the pick.. Omar Khan added that the Steelers spent a “great deal of time” with Fautanu, including meeting him at the NFL Scouting Combine and having offensive line coach Pat Meyer at his Pro Day. Given all the leg work the Steelers did on him, it’s fair to say they’re comfortable enough with him and don’t feel the injuries will be a big deal for him going forward.
It’s always risky to take a player with an injury history, but Fautanu is a highly regarded prospect who happened to fall to the Steelers. We’ll see if the injuries become a problem, but for now the Steelers will get to see Fautanu in action at rookie minicamp in over two weeks.
