Troy Fautanu

Steelers selected Washington OT Troy Fautanu with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

A four-star OG from the 2019 prep cycle, Fautanu (6’4/317) effectively took redshirts in his first two seasons, logging just 12 offensive snaps in that span before being called upon to start three of the seven games he played in 2021. There was a “bend, but don’t break” element to Fautanu’s final season at Washington, as he struggled with UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and the “Pass-Rushing Murphy Brothers,” allowing four pressures to a rugged Bruins edge group. While Fautanu allowed 23 pressures and a somewhat elevated 2.7% pressure rate, he still allowed only three hits on star QB Michael Penix Jr. in 584 pass reps. The third-team AP All-American was remarkably consistent this year, recording a 71st-percentile pass block grade in every game on the schedule while never allowing more than two pressures in any contest for the Pac-12 Champs. His combine testing confirmed his freakish speed/power capabilities, testing in the 94th percentile on both the broad (9’05”) and vertical jump (32.5) along with a blazing 5.01s 40-yard dash (96th%) combined for a 9.45 RAS score. He utilizes balance, flexibility, and active hands to stay between his man and the quarterback in pass pro, which helps offset a tendency to get dislodged by stiff bull rushes. Could stand to be more precise when seeking out second-level blocks and is older than most of his OT prospect contemporaries, as he turns 24 in October. Fautanu has tweener dimensions, which could eventually kick him inside. He has the talent to be a staple in the lineup at either tackle or guard for whichever team selects him.