Quite a bit was thrown at Troy Fautanu after being a first-round pick. But so far the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie offensive tackle has taken it all in stride and has “improved tremendously” in the eyes of offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
A left tackle by trade coming out of Washington before landing at No. 20 overall to the Steelers in the 2024 NFL Draft, Fautanu has made the switch to right tackle in his foray into the NFL.
Fautanu started to get work immediately at right tackle in rookie minicamp, signaling where he’d play in the NFL. That work only continued through Organized Team Activities and then mandatory minicamp last week.
Meyer has been quite pleased with the first-round pick, telling ESPN’s Brooke Pryor that Fautanu has picked up a lot quickly and has improved each day.
“Troy’s learned a lot of the different techniques very quickly,” Meyer said to Pryor, according to ESPN.com. “The first couple days his timing was off because the speed of the game is different — now we don’t have any pads on yet, so nothing’s going to be determined until we get into camp — but his timing’s much better in terms of his get-off and run game and his sets and throwing his hands and being aggressive with his hands and whatnot.
“He’s improved tremendously from rookie minicamp to now.”
Making that move from the left side to the right side right away while trying to learn a new scheme, adjust to new coaches, familiarize with new teammates all while adjusting to a new city can be quite difficult. Early on, Fautanu had some struggles in Meyer’s eyes, with the speed of the game and the timing.
Since then, Fautanu has adjusted and made tremendous improvements.
With his 34.5-inch arms and his great athleticism, learning new techniques and adapting to the scheme hasn’t been all that difficult, despite the initial bump in the road.
What Fautanu’s role will be moving forward remains unclear. GM Omar Khan stated to 93.7 The Fan last week after minicamp that Fautanu would play right tackle, though he did not say if he would start or be the backup, just that right tackle would be his position.
Presumably, that would mean Broderick Jones going from right tackle to left tackle once Fautanu is ready for the starting lineup. If he’s not in the starting lineup to open the season, Dan Moore Jr. would likely remain at left tackle and Jones would remain at right tackle.
Regardless, Fautanu fits the Steelers very well from a play style and demeanor standpoint. He brings a very physical presence and a nasty edge to the field. That is perfect for the Steelers, who are aiming to get back to the bully-ball ways of the glory days.
Hearing he’s made tremendous improvements is very encouraging. Hopefully he can hit the ground running in training camp and really push for that starting job.
