The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their mandatory minicamp on June 13, concluding the third and final phase of the NFL’s offseason program. Rookie minicamp, OTAs, and finally the three-day mandatory minicamp gave the coaches their first look at the 2024 NFL Draft picks practicing in Steelers uniforms. First-round offensive tackle Troy Fautanu certainly didn’t disappoint.
According to offensive line coach Pat Meyer, Fautanu improved substantially from the beginning of rookie minicamp to the end of mandatory minicamp. Fautanu credits a lot of this improvement on taking reps against phenomenal edge rushers like T.J. Watt.
Fautanu spoke with reporters via Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube after mandatory minicamp last week, and he was asked what he learned going against Watt in practice.
“To be ready for anything,” Fautanu said. “A guy like that can do power, speed, finesse. He’s got it all, so just making sure that I’m ready to go every single play…You can watch film and see what his tendencies are but guys like that are super elite, you have got to make sure you are ready for whatever they throw at you.”
There’s a high likelihood that Fautanu will start at right tackle for the Steelers in Week 1. This presents him with a difficult, uphill task because Fautanu played almost exclusively left tackle at Washington. Switching sides is challenging enough, not to mention the fact that Fautanu will have just a few months to learn a new, complex offensive system. And he’s also going to have to put it all together against the best edge rushers in the world.
That said, there’s no better player for Fautanu to learn from than the best edge rusher in the NFL: T.J. Watt. As Fautanu said, he truly blends power, speed, and finesse at the highest level, and all the film study in the world isn’t enough to prepare to face a dynamic force like Watt. Fautanu mentioned to reporters a few weeks ago how he’s not a finished product, and he’s trying to learn as much as he can heading into this offseason. Evidently, over the past month, he learned and improved significantly by squaring off against Watt.
Fautanu will have his hands full in a division that features Pro Bowl defensive ends like the Browns’ Myles Garrett and the Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson. If he shows vulnerability on the right side of the line, opposing defenses will chomp at the bit to expose him.
Dan Moore Jr. is Fautanu’s stiffest competition for the starting right tackle job, and Moore experienced the difficulties of being thrust into a starting tackle position as a rookie. Fautanu will have to earn a starting job, and to maintain it, he will have to hold his own against some of the NFL’s top defensive linemen. The Steelers want to rebuild their brand as a physical, run-heavy offense that can dominate teams in the trenches. Fautanu was one of the core building blocks in that plan, and he’ll hopefully show his promise in the 2024 season.
Let’s hope that the Fautanu-Watt bouts at practice and in training camp going forward might be looked at as a battle of two of the league’s best at their positions in the years to come.
