Trading up or down in the first round of the draft is often easier said than done. Though just last season, in his first draft in charge of making the selections, GM Omar Khan moved up three spots to leapfrog the New York Jets and select OT Broderick Jones. In a new mock draft by Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, the Pittsburgh Steelers conduct another trade, but this time they move back.
Maaddi has them trading with the Dallas Cowboys, who hold the 24th selection in the first round. In this mock trade, he sent the Steelers a third-round pick (87 overall), a sixth-round pick (178 overall), and a 2025 fourth-round selection.
The Cowboys use the Steelers’ original No. 20 selection to take Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga, and the Steelers select Washington OL Troy Fautanu at No. 24.
Many think Fuaga will be off the board by the time the Steelers pick at 20. That would be a difficult decision to trade away from one of the very best right tackle prospects in the draft class with the need that the Steelers have at the position. Fuaga would allow them to move Broderick Jones back to the left side shortly into his rookie season, if not right away.
Instead, the Steelers take Fautanu. He could be an option to move over to the right side, but like Jones he spent his college career at left tackle. It is also not entirely clear whether Fautanu is a true tackle prospect at the NFL level. There are very few offensive tackles in the NFL, especially ones taken in the first round, who are under 6-4.
Fautanu measured in at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine at 6036, 317 pounds, and with 34 1/2-inch arms. His arm length definitely helps make up for the lack of height, which further complicates where teams may view his best positional fit in the NFL. He certainly put good play on tape at Washington at left tackle, playing three seasons for a team that made the national championship game in 2023.
The Steelers don’t have an immediate need at guard unless they want to move James Daniels inside to center and slot Fautanu at guard. Fautanu has the athleticism and technique to be an excellent offensive lineman, but at what position?
If you ask Fautanu, he thinks he is a tackle, though he did state in a recent interview that he is willing to play wherever his future team wants him. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently noted in his comprehensive pre-draft guide, The Beast, that Fautanu is five-position capable.
As for the compensation in this trade, the difference between the 20th and 24th picks is just 110 trade value, according to draft value charts. The proposed trade would be sending pick 87 (155 value), pick 178 (20.2 value) and a fourth-round pick in 2025, which should end up roughly 55 value. That is a net of 65.2 added value to the Steelers in 2024, and roughly another 55 in 2025.
That is a bit of an overpay for Dallas, but it is also for a prospect whom many do not expect to be around at 20. The compensation would be favorable for the Steelers, and they have shown plenty of interest in Fautanu, suggesting they would be okay with this outcome.
